Department of Environment & Conservation

What Department of Environment & Conservation does

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) — formerly known as the Department of Environment & Conservation — is a Western Australian state government agency established in 2017 through a machinery-of-government restructure that consolidated the former Department of Environment Regulation, the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority, and the Department of Water. DWER's mandate is to manage and regulate the state's water resources and environment, serving Western Australian residents, businesses and industries requiring environmental licensing and water permits, other government agencies, and Aboriginal communities engaged in environmental stewardship. Leadership comprises Director General Alistair Jones and two Deputy Director Generals — Emily Briggs (Climate and Sustainability) and Sasha Pendal (Approvals) — with ministerial oversight split across Hon Amber-Jade Sanderson, Hon Don Punch, and Hon Matthew Swinbourn.

The department's service portfolio is built around two web-based self-serve portals — Water Online (water licensing and allocation) and Environment Online (environmental regulatory services, compliance reporting, and impact assessments) — complemented by five phone-based reporting hotlines (Environment Watch, Water Licensing, Environment Online Support, Contaminated Sites, Algal Watch). Around 20 programs sit on top of these platforms, including Treebate (up to A$150 rebate for planting native trees), the WA Tree Recovery Program, WasteSorted Awards, the Container Deposit Scheme, the Green Energy Approvals Initiative, the Waterwise Perth Action Plan, the Green Jobs Plan, and a One Stop Shop for integrated approvals. Distribution is anchored by a head office in Joondalup (Prime House, 8 Davidson Terrace) and seven regional offices covering Swan Avon, Kwinana Peel, South West, Goldfields, Mid West Gascoyne, North West, and South Coast regions, plus active social channels on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Facebook (Environment Watch).

DWER does not generate commercial revenue; it is funded through Western Australian parliamentary appropriations, and no pricing model or commercial revenue mechanics apply. It supports — but does not own — multiple statutory and advisory bodies including the Environmental Protection Authority, Waste Authority, Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA, and several catchment and water-allocation advisory committees, making its role closer to a regulatory convener and program administrator than a product vendor. Technology is described as non-proprietary: standard web portals with no disclosed AI, ML, or proprietary platform components.

Name

Department of Environment & Conservation

Legal name

Department of Water and Environmental Regulation

Website

https://dwer.wa.gov.au

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Western Australian state government department that regulates water resources and environmental management, serving WA residents, businesses, and Aboriginal communities through online portals, reporting hotlines, and conservation and rebate programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Regulation

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Water Supply (4941), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL)

Keywords

• Environmental regulation services
• Water resource management
• Environmental licensing
• Government conservation programs
• Waste management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Joondalup

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Department of Environment & Conservation, now operating as the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), is a Western Australian state government agency that regulates water resources and the environment. It delivers water licensing, environmental permitting, pollution control, and contaminated sites management through online portals (Water Online, Environment Online), dedicated phone hotlines, and approximately 20 environmental and conservation programs including Treebate, the Container Deposit Scheme, and the WasteSorted Awards.

Product overview

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) is a government agency that provides a portfolio of regulatory and service platforms rather than a commercial tech product. The core offering consists of Water Online and Environment Online web portals for licensing, compliance, and regulatory management. These are supported by hotlines for incident reporting (pollution, contamination, illegal activity, contaminated sites), and approximately 20 environmental programs including Treebate (native tree rebates), the WA Tree Recovery Program, WasteSorted Awards, Container Deposit Scheme, Green Energy Approvals Initiative, Waterwise Perth Action Plan, and Green Jobs Plan. The programs operate as distinct initiatives under the department's environmental and water resource management mandate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Online Web-based portal for managing water licensing, allocations, and water resource management in Western Australia. Used by businesses and individuals requiring water permits and licensing services.
• Environment Online Web-based portal for environmental regulatory services, compliance reporting, and environmental impact assessments. Used by businesses needing environmental permits and compliance filings.
• DWER Reporting Hotlines Phone-based reporting services including Environment Watch hotline (1300 784 782), Water licensing (1800 508 885), Environment Online support (1800 161 176), Contaminated Sites hotline (1300 762 982), Unlawful native vegetation clearing hotline, and Algal Watch hotline (08 6250 8064) for reporting pollution, contamination, or illegal activity.
• Treebate State Government program offering Western Australians rebates of up to $150 for planting native trees in their yards to green backyards.
• Container Deposit Scheme Western Australia's container deposit scheme for beverage container recycling, supported by the Waste Authority.
• Waterwise Perth Action Plan Action plan for water conservation and efficiency in the Perth region.
• One Stop Shop Integrated service for water and environmental regulation approvals and permits, consolidating multiple regulatory processes into a single touchpoint.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Warren Donnelly Water Advisory CommitteeminorOthersAdvisory committee providing guidance on water-related matters in Western Australia
• Geographe Catchment CouncilminorOthersCatchment management council for the Geographe region
• Carnarvon Water Allocation Advisory CommitteeminorOthersAdvisory committee for water allocation decisions in Carnarvon region
• Environmental Protection AuthoritycoreOthersIndependent statutory authority for environmental protection in Western Australia
• Waste AuthoritycoreOthersStatutory body responsible for waste management strategy and the Container Deposit Scheme in Western Australia
• Cockburn Sound Management CouncilminorOthersAdvisory council for management of Cockburn Sound marine environment
• Air Quality Coordinating CommitteeminorOthersCoordination committee for air quality management
• Contaminated Sites CommitteeminorOthersCommittee dealing with contaminated site management and decisions
• Office of the Appeals ConvenorminorOthersIndependent office handling appeals related to environmental decisions
• Keep Australia Beautiful Council WAminorOthersCouncil promoting litter reduction and environmental cleanliness in Western Australia
• Bindjareb Djilba Kaadadjan Bidi Yarning CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAboriginal engagement partnership recognized nationally for excellence in sustainability and sustainable futures, winning the 2026 AIATSIS Summit Awards

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Environment Protection Authority Victoria: Victoria's independent environmental regulator covering pollution prevention, waste, and contaminated sites — directly comparable to DWER's environment regulation functions but operating in a different state with a separate statutory framework.
• NSW Environment Protection Authority: Lead NSW regulator for environment, waste, and contaminated land with licensing, compliance, and enforcement functions closely mirroring DWER's Environment Online mandate, though without the integrated water portfolio.
• Department for Environment and Water (South Australia): South Australia's lead agency for environment and water resource management, structurally similar to DWER with combined water and environment portfolio responsibilities at the state level.
• Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (Queensland): Queensland's lead department administering environmental regulation, water management, and climate policy, directly comparable in scope and structure to DWER's integrated water and environment remit.
• EPA Tasmania: Tasmania's environmental regulator responsible for pollution control, waste management, and environmental impact assessment, comparable to the environmental regulation function within DWER.
• Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security (Northern Territory): Northern Territory's lead agency for environment, water, and natural resource management, comparable to DWER's consolidated water and environment portfolio in a similarly resource-extractive economy.

Regional players

• Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (ACT): ACT's integrated directorate covering planning, environment, and sustainability — similar integrated model to DWER but operating in a much smaller jurisdiction with different governance structure.

Broad incumbents

• Murray-Darling Basin Authority: Federal authority overseeing water resource management across the Murray-Darling Basin, comparable to DWER's water resource administration role but at a larger inter-state basin scale.

Others

• Water Corporation (Western Australia): WA's principal water utility which DWER regulates and licenses — a counterpart operator rather than competitor, providing a complementary lens on WA water resource management.
• Bureau of Meteorology: Federal agency providing climate, water, and environmental data that informs DWER's water resource planning and Algal Watch monitoring — a key data and ecosystem partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DWER_WA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCm89k6EboyGnFMFx_FelR2A
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61558988558313
• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/dwer_wa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Department of Environment & Conservation