The Department administers legislation including the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972, the Land Administration Act 1997, the Planning and Development Act 2005 and the Heritage Act 2018. A full list of legislation administered by the Department can be accessed on the Department's website.
Examples of matters investigated include:
- damage or alteration to Aboriginal sites
- installation of infrastructure without approval on Crown land
- damage to vegetation without approval on Crown land
- development without approval
- damage to or interference with State Heritage sites
- vehicles and animals accessing or impacting restricted State land.
Penalties for breaches of this legislation varies and can include significant fines or imprisonment. It is important that we all do our bit to protect the valuable land and heritage in our State. Ensuring compliance with legislation plays a key role in this.
Reporting a possible offence
You are encouraged to help us investigate offences. If you believe you have information regarding an offence, you can report it by contacting the Department’s Investigations team on (08) 6551 8002 or email investigations@dplh.wa.gov.au.
When reporting an offence, please include as much of the following information as possible:
- date of the incident
- description of the incident
- location of the incident - address, GPS coordinates or other identifying information
- vehicle description and registration number, description of persons involved, and photographs or video
- your contact details - so that the Investigations team can contact you for more information.
The Department’s Enforcement and Prosecution Policy details how enforcement and prosecution decisions are made and the outcomes available to the Department.
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