The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (‘DWER’) is the government department that manages and regulates the state’s environment and water resources.
It handles complaints about a range of environmental harms and dissatisfaction with DWER’s services including staff conduct and complaint handling.
You can also submit a public comment on applications for some work approvals, licenses, or permits through DWER. For information on how to submit a public comment, please refer to the factsheet provided below.
What types of complaints can you make?
You may report an environmental issue, or lodge a complaint about DWER services:
Report an Environmental Issue:
- General Pollution: Waste or chemical discharges, hazardous spills, algal blooms, or other activities causing environmental harm.
- Air pollution: Smoke, dust, or fumes from burning, factories, or construction.
- Water pollution: Waste or chemicals in stormwater, rivers, lakes, or beaches.
- Noise pollution: Excessive noise coming from a large industrial operator regulated by DWER.
- Offensive Odours: Unreasonable odours that interfere with the health, welfare, convenience, comfort of people nearby.
- Clearing of native vegetation: In Western Australia, you need a permit to clear native vegetation. If you suspect unauthorised clearing of native vegetation, you should report it to DWER.
- Contamination Sites: Suspected contamination of land, groundwater or surface water, including buried chemicals, leaking underground tanks, and contaminated soil.
- Illegal Dumping: Unauthorised discharging or abandonment of waste, such as tyres, car bodies, construction and demolition waste, commercial waste and large quantities of unwanted household items.
- Unlawful Water taking: Interference with the bed or banks of a river, creek, or other natural water channel, the unapproved construction of bores or dams and other unlawful water takings.
- Smoky vehicle emissions: cars or trucks emitting excessive heavy smoke.
Lodge a Complaint about DWER:
- Your Environment WAtch report was not followed up on properly.
- A DWER officer spoke to you disrespectfully.
- You requested interpreter services to make a complaint and DWER did not arrange language assistance.
- Your DWER complaint was mishandled.
DWER does not handle complaints about:
- Residential or small-business nuisance, noise, dust or odour issues.
- Small littering.
- Urgent gas leaks or gas-safety emergencies.
- Excessive noise from non-regulated industries such as smaller construction sites, aircraft noise, or noise from concerts.
Jurisdiction: DWER has the authority to hear complaints under the law of Western Australia. Specifically, DWER regulates large industries licensed or registered under the Environmental Protection Act.
Scope: The issue should generally relate to conduct that occurred in Western Australia, or land and water resources, contaminated sites, vehicles, or DWER-regulated premises in WA.
Time limits: Environmental incidents should be reported as soon as possible, especially if they are current or ongoing.
Known contaminated sites must be reported within 21 days after a person becomes aware of the contamination, and suspected contaminated sites should be reported as soon as reasonably practicable.
Discretion: Reporting an issue to DWER does not guarantee that it will be investigated or that you will receive a specific outcome, such as compensation, an apology, a clean-up, or changes to a licence.
Who can you make a complaint against?
You can make a complaint against:
Individuals or Organisations: a person, business, landholder, or contractor that may be causing pollution, emissions, waste discharge, dust, odour, noise contamination or environmental harm.
Regulated industrial operators: a business, facility or operator regulated by DWER including landfills, wastewater facilities, mineral processing sites, factories or other large industrial premises.
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation: DWER itself including DWER staff, processes, and services.
Are you eligible to make a complaint?
Anyone can report an environmental issue or lodge a complaint with DWER, including on behalf of someone else.
You will be required to leave your contact details to report a contaminated site, but your information will be kept confidential. All other DWER reports may be made anonymously, but this may limit DWER’s ability to respond appropriately.
What can this body do to help?
DWER cannot guarantee a specific outcome, but they may:
- Investigate reports and complaints
- Issue a written warning
- Order clean up or management action on contaminated sites.
- Issue a Statutory notice directing a person or business to stop harmful activities, investigate issues, clean up damage, comply with environmental obligations, or restore affected land or waterways.
- Suspend or cancel licenses or permits
- Prosecute serious or repeated cases.
- Acknowledge, respond, and rectify errors for complaints about DWER’s own services
How to prepare your complaint:
When making a complaint, include as much clear information as possible.
Personal details: Include your name, address, phone number, and email address.
Details about the person or service you are complaining about: Include any information you have that may help identify the person, business, or site. This may include, name, address, registration number, permit or license number, site address or property details.
Relevant Facts:
- Explain what happened, including what you saw, heard, or found.
- Include when and where it happened.
- Describe how the issue affected the environment or property, or the health and comfort of people nearby.
- Provide the names of alleged offenders, if known.
DWER Complaints: Please also include what outcome you are seeking.
Contaminated Site Reports: Include whether the contamination is known or suspected, the type and source of contamination, where the contamination is located, when it was discovered, previous or current land uses, and any investigation or testing information.
Evidence: Include any supporting documents including photos, videos, maps, test results, reports, and permit or license details.
What NOT to include: False or misleading statements.
Other things to know: Please indicate if the issue is urgent, on-going or time-sensitive. If you need an interpreter, or communication support, contact DWER before lodging your complaint.
Lodging your complaint and next steps:
The process for submitting your complaint will vary depending on the complaint type.
Report an Environmental Issue:
- Environment WAtch for pollution, illegal dumping and environmental incidents:
- Online Form: Submit Report - Environment WAtch
- Phone: 1300 784 782 (available 24 hours a day, seven days a week)
- Contaminated Sites: Complete Form 1 and send it via email or post.
- Form 1: Contaminated sites - Form 1
- Email: info@dwer.wa.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 762 982
- Post: Manager, Contaminated Sites Branch
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
Locked Bag 10
Joondalup DC WA 6919
- Unlawful Water Taking:
- Online Form: DWER’s feedback and complaints management system
- Email: licence.enquiry@dwer.wa.gov.au (For water licensing enquiries)
- Phone: 1800 508 885 (For water licensing enquiries)
- Smoky vehicle reports:
- Online: online
Lodge a Complaint about DWER staff or services:
- Online Form Online feedback form (preferred method)
- Phone: 61 8 6364 7000
- Post: Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
Prime House, 8 Davidson Terrace, Joondalup WA 6027
Locked Bag 10, Joondalup WA 6919
What happens next: DWER aims to respond to general complaints about its services within ten (10) business days. For reports on environmental issues, DWER may take action, refer to another agency or decide not to take any further action.
More information:
Refer to the factsheet provided below for more information.
