Establishment of the National Regulators Community of Practice - WA Chapter
The Western Australian Chapter of the National Regulators Community of Practice is a network of public sector regulators, regulatory policy makers and others with a scholarly or professional interest in regulation. Established by the department in 2018, the creation of the WA Chapter was a result of identifying an opportunity to develop a network focused on regulatory issues of interest and importance to the State.
As well as providing an ongoing forum for networking and engagement, the WA Chapter hosts three to four free events each year where leading regulatory scholars and/or practitioners present on a current regulatory topic of interest and benefit to practising regulators.
The WA Chapter has stimulated excellent discussion and debate around regulation in Western Australia, as well as providing excellent networking and engagement opportunities that were not readily available. The collaboration between regulatory agencies, and increasing professional and personal connections with officers of agencies who are involved in regulatory design and implementation will, over time, encourage innovation and continuous improvement in regulatory practice in the State.
Water services to individual strata sub-divisions
The department has developed a solution to a long-standing problem around the installation of underground water and sewerage services to individual lots on survey-strata subdivisions.
A change to the Water Corporation’s policy in 2015 meant developers only had to ensure there is an adequate connection to the corporation’s infrastructure for the whole subdivision, not each lot. This change in policy had, in some instances, led to significant unexpected plumbing costs to purchasers of survey-strata subdivision lots.
Through successful collaboration with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage; the WA Planning Commission; Landgate; and the Water Corporation, the department has proposed a solution to ensure purchasers of survey-strata lots do not face significant unexpected plumbing costs when building a house on the lot.
Amalgamation of industry safety awards
The Work Health and Safety Excellence Awards recognise outstanding solutions and innovations to specific workplace health and safety issues in Western Australia. Launched in April 2019, the new-look awards are an amalgamation and upgrade of awards previously presented by the former departments of Mines and Petroleum (Safety and Health Resources Sector Awards) and Commerce (Work Safety Awards).
Submissions were invited from individuals, associations, partnerships, companies and other organisations operating under safety legislation administered by DMIRS. In this inaugural year for the amalgamated awards, 69 submissions were received across five award categories.
Use of mine tailings as road fill
Main Roads WA identified an area of barren tailings from a former mineral sands mining operation as being suitable for all for a strategic road-building project.
DMIRS officers verified the tailings as safe to use as road fill following a field survey of tailings minerals and an analysis of samples.
Using the 300,000 cubic metres of mine tailings as road fill helps:
- prevent depletion of sand materials in the south-west of the State;
- save the State considerable expenditure in purchasing raw materials;
- reduce freight costs for transporting fill materials;
- reduce potential vehicle movements on already busy regional roads; and
- reduce the carbon footprint of the road-building project.
DMIRS officers continue to provide specialist technical advice for the road-building project.