Western Australia's environment regulator left hundreds of possibly contaminated sites in limbo for years, many assigned to staff who had already left, the Auditor General found
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What happened
In a report tabled 30 September 2026, the Western Australian Auditor General found that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) does not effectively manage contaminated-site assessments: about 1,200 possibly contaminated sites had been awaiting further assessment information for more than five years with limited follow-up, almost 80% of sites needing more information had waited that long, and one high-priority site had no contact from the department for 13 years. At the time of the audit 771 sites, including more than 110 high-priority sites, were assigned to staff who no longer worked at the department. DWER completed initial assessments within required timeframes; it supported the audit's recommendations, one of them only in principle.
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