DWER licensing needs

DWER online responding to your licensing needs

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has been busy responding to your licensing needs.

In the past 12 months we have seen a 70% reduction in the backlog of water license applications across the PerthPeel regions including the Swan-Avon. The department’s Swan-Avon Manager Don Cummins said the department has been working hard on service delivery under a risk-based approach, supported by increased staffing. “Improving workflows of the regional licensing programs ensures that low risk applications are assessed in a timely manner, allowing our officers time to focus on complex and more time consuming applications,” Mr Cummins said. “The department increased resourcing of this business area, with new staff brought in and assigned to manage the high volume of applications received. “We have set performance targets for licensing staff to achieve. “We have also improved reporting to better understand and communicate the status of applications.”

3 THE Water Online portal links your usage automatically to our water licensing software.

Deadlines continue for the rollout of metering across the State. By the end of this year, all licenses with an annual water entitlement of 10,000kL/yr or more need to have meters installed. Meter installation guides and guidance on how to integrate your meter installation details and reporting online is available via the Water Online portal. Under the metering regulations most licensees are required to record a meter reading at the end of each month and submit these readings annually. The Water Online portal links your usage automatically to our water licensing software to ensure your submissions are recorded, reviewed and actioned by the department appropriately.

3 THE department has recently published new procedure documents to guide licensing and permit applications.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic response, the department is open for business, Executive Director Regional Delivery Paul Brown said, with compliance and enforcement activities still being undertaken. “Statutory obligations remain in place, including water and environmental licence conditions and other regulatory responsibilities,” Mr Brown said. “It is recommended that all licence, permit and other approval holders create and adopt a business continuity plan to help meet their statutory responsibilities. “Social distancing measures mean face-to-face meetings are minimised for most business needs.

“However, our staff and online systems remain available. “While social distancing measures are in place, meetings with staff can be conducted through teleconference or video conferencing. “Please keep contacting our staff as you normally would through their existing email or phone. “Workshops, consultations and meetings are now being organised using online teleconferencing and phones, wherever possible. “We will keep you informed of these.” The department has recently published new procedure documents to guide licensing and permit applications for water, industry and native vegetation clearing. Three new procedures detail the processes undertaken by the department to assess and manage licences and permits across these areas. Although there are no major changes “This includes improvements to to licensing conditions, there online information organisation are improvements to procedures and availability. and processes. “We hope that this establishes what “We are hoping that this makes it easier DWER expects from applicants before, for our regulated stakeholders to do during, and after assessment and business with us,” senior manager what applicants can in turn expect better regulatory practice Belinda from DWER in regard to public Walker said. consultation, timeframes and “The new procedures support DWER’s One Stop Shop service delivery by connecting our regulatory functions and areas and where possible aligning our regulatory The new procedures are now available through an improved One Stop Shopwebpage. other areas of interest.” The documents, Procedure: Water licences and permits, Procedure: Prescribed premises works approvals and licences, Procedure: Native vegetation clearing approaches to deliver a permits, are in the procedure more efficient engagement with sections of the Regulatory regulatory stakeholders.” documents table on the One Stop Shop The new procedures are now available webpage. through an improved One Stop Shop webpage. “We have been listening to our regulatory stakeholders and considering MORE INFORMATION Visit www.dwer.wa.gov.au for more information on the One Stop Shop services and how we are responding to COVID-19. how we can improve their engagement experience,” Ms Walker said.