'Poor management': regulator in the dark over water use
Authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground in one of Australia's driest states or if it's taken legally, a report says.
Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences.
Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools.
"DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said.
"Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing."
The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years.
Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders.
On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance.
"Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said.
There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation.
It's the third report by the Office of the auditor-general that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA.
During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate.
There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance.
The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options."(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said.
The opposition accused the government of negligence.
"This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said.
The department has been contacted for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
'Poor management': regulator in the dark over water use
Authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground in one of Australia's driest states or if it's taken legally, a report says. Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences. Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. "DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said. "Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing." The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years. Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders. On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance. "Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said. There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation. It's the third report by the Office of the auditor-general that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA. During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate. There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance. The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options."(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said. The opposition accused the government of negligence. "This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said. The department has been contacted for comment.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
'Poor management': regulator in the dark over water use
Authorities are not monitoring how much water is being pumped from the ground in one of Australia's driest states or if it's taken legally, a report says. Western Australia's auditor-general found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) was not enforcing the conditions on the more than 12,000 water licences. Often handed out for free, the licences allow more than four trillion litres of water to be extracted annually - enough to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. "DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc," Auditor-General Caroline Spencer said. "Poor management, over extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and create an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing." The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, said the department's compliance checking activities have decreased over the past three years. Most are desktop reviews of unverified meter readings, with information reported by licence holders. On-the-ground inspections decreased by 67 per cent during the audit period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024, weakening the department's understanding of compliance. "Only five per cent of licence holders were visited in that time (and) in 2023-24, half of the regions saw no inspections all," Ms Spencer said. There is also no effective deterrence of future non-compliance because they are not prioritised for investigation. It's the third report by the Office of the auditor-general that has found issues with the planning and monitoring of water use in WA. During the three years of the reporting period, 87 per cent of potential incidents of non-compliance were never assigned to a staff member to investigate. There was also no effective guidance to help staff assess the severity or impact of non-compliance. The report said this risked inconsistent outcomes or ineffective enforcement options."(The regulator) needs to improve its enforcement approach, including more timely actions to address potential incidents of non-compliance and to better deal with and deter future breaches," Ms Spencer said. The opposition accused the government of negligence. "This is a staggering failure of oversight ... the government has no idea whether it's being used lawfully or sustainably," water spokesman Peter Rundle said. The department has been contacted for comment.
The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
John Shakespeare's illustrations captured the vibe. Here's a handful of the 20,000 he filed
John Shakespeare in 2014 with some of his sports illustrations. For 15 years, Shakespeare illustrated Peter FitzSimons' column The Fitz Files. 'Shakes' took a voluntary redundancy last year. Credit: Peter Rae How the magic happens: Shakespeare's gif of Cathy Freeman and the victorious Matildas. Credit: Life after politics: Shakespeare's take on Paul Keating, Tony Abbott, Anthony Albanese, Scott Morrison, John Howard, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd. Credit: An illustration for a Peter Hartcher column in 2020 on Prime Minister Scott Morrison's new defence strategy, with the unspoken threat being China. Credit: Ghosts of parliament past: Shakespeare's illustration for a Peter Hartcher column on the anniversary of the Kevin Rudd coup. Credit: A pocket cartoon during the height of the bushfires when then-prime minister Scott Morrison went on a holiday. Credit: Send in the clowns: a 2020 illustration depicting Scott Morrison conjuring coal. Credit: Shakespeare's take on Morrison tackling the COVID pandemic. Credit: A pocket cartoon for the letters page. Credit: Tony Abbott ready to swing into backstabbing action as then PM Malcolm Turnbull rides the leadership wave. Credit: A Dame Edna gif for the letters page. Credit: Bob Katter, the federal member for Kennedy, has always been a good source of inspiration. Credit: PM's favourite: Shakespeare captures the happy moment when Anthony Albanese proposed to Jodie Haydon, complete with Toto. Albanese has this illustration hanging above a fireplace in The Lodge. Credit: Trump and friends on TikTok, in a gif created by Shakespeare. Credit: Shakespeare's cartoon of Olympic breakdancer Raygun (Rachael Gunn) for the Fitz Files. Credit: Prime Minister Albanese on the eve of a visit to China in 2023 with a view to stabilising relations. Credit: Ready to rumble: Shakespeare's illustration of Joe Biden and Donald Trump for Peter Hartcher's column on the 2020 US election battle. Credit: Cricket tragic: a jubilant John Howard joked about his cricketing prowess at his birthday bash. Credit: Shakespeare's take on Peter Dutton's nuclear power proposal. Credit: The country's richest person, Gina Rinehart, also has a Shakespeare in Hancock Prospecting's office. It's a portrait of Margaret Thatcher wearing a Joh (Bjelke-Petersen) for PM badge, with the famous Thatcher quote. The portrait combines 'two brave and sensible leaders', says Rinehart's spokesman. Credit: Where's the teacher? Shakespeare's depiction of a government in chaos in 2022. Credit:
