DEWHA adopts new Compliance & Enforcement Policy
On 1 December 2009 the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) adopted a new Compliance and Enforcement Policy.
The new policy provides the department with a robust compliance and enforcement framework in order to help ensure its C&E activities are undertaken in a transparent and consistent manner. Relative to the previous policy, it better represents the totality of the C&E regimes in force under the department’s numerous pieces of administered legislation and emerging programmatic activities.
The policy’s development was the result of extensive internal consultation and a comprehensive review of recent Australian Government guidance publications, emerging best practice from other Australian and overseas regulators, and relevant academic literature. It also reflects the department’s evolving expertise as an environmental regulator.
DEWHA’s experience during the policy development process reinforces the benefits of networks such as AELERT, as activities such as the AELERT annual conference and AELERT second tier forums helped the department keep abreast of developments in C&E best practice in the environmental context.
Point of contact:
Rose Webb
Australian Government Jurisdictional Representative - AELERT