Directions Paper - Western Australian Planning Commission

Directions Paper on the Integration of NRM and Land Use Planning• Sandalwood Act 1929, and• Wildlife Conservation Act 1950Key functions of DEC include regulatory,management, protection and advisory roles inmany aspects of the States natural resourcessuch as biodiversity and natural areas(conservation reserves, threatened ecologicalcommunities and rare species, wetlands),DEC managed areas (conservation estate),and pollution prevention and management(acid sulphate soils, contaminated sites,discharges air quality, noise and vibration). DECcontributes to the development of environmentalprotection policies and assists the EPA tomanage the EIA process in order to achieveimproved environmental outcomes. DEC isalso responsible for fire preparedness, pestanimal and weed control on 89 million hectaresof unallocated Crown land and unmanagedreserves. Also sitting within the Department isthe EPA Support Unit which provides supportservices to the EPA for EIA of proposals.Links to land use planningDEC’s role in land use planning is predominantlyas an advisory body to decision making bodies(as opposed to the EPA who have a statutoryrole in providing advice to the Minister), andcontributes to the State’s policy, strategic andstatutory land use planning processes. DECreceives planning referrals from the DPI, localgovernments and redevelopment authoritiesincluding statutory and non-statutory referrals,and is responsible for ensuring subdivisionconditions relating to their functions are met.Some scheme provisions may require DEC toapprove or provide advice on environmentalmanagement matters at specified stages ofplanning. From time to time DEC officers arerequired to provide expert evidence whenplanning applications are appealed. Where aplanning instrument (eg scheme amendment)must be referred to the EPA, it generally doesnot need to be separately referred to DEC. TheEPA Service Unit typically seeks advice fromother parts of DEC and incorporates that advicein its advice.When there is a clear need for DEC advice,the first points of contact in DEC for land useplanning related matters are the regional offices.A map of the DEC regions and a contact listhas been included within Appendix 5. Thereis currently no permanent central coordinationof the DEC’s land use planning function, andthis together with limited resources for land useplanning within the regions has resulted in thelevel of support for this function varying greatlybetween the regions. At the regional forums heldby EnviroPlanning, this was of particular concernto local governments.When the split into the functions of theDepartment of Water and the Department ofEnvironment and Conservation occurred, thededicated land use planning officers from theDepartment of Environment trained in providingadvice on pollution management and otherissues were absorbed by the Department ofWater, leaving DEC with restricted capacity torespond to land use planning referrals. Thisand other issues have been recognised bythe Department with a review of the deliveryof planning and development advice in DECcurrently being undertaken. The review willseek to make recommendations on processeswithin DEC for providing land use planningadvice, including the role of DEC in land useplanning, and providing guidelines on thefactors on which DEC is able to provide advice.Key recommendations of the review are likely toinclude establishing a central land use planningcoordination section within DEC. In the interimthe DEC is developing training and guidelinesto assist regions to deal with land use planningissues.EPA Guidance Statement No. 33 as discussedin Section 4.3.3 above, provides guidanceon protecting and managing a range ofenvironmental factors during planning. DECencourages use of this document for adviceon how to deal with certain matters in the firstinstance. See comments on EPA GuidanceStatement No. 33 in 1.1. 3.23