Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (Western Australia)
The Department of Planning, Lands & Heritage is the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for planning and managing all land use and heritage considerations within the state. The Department was formed on 28 April 2017 as a merger of the former departments of Planning, Lands Management, the Heritage Council and the heritage and land management functions of the former Department of Aboriginal Affairs.Background
Political pressure for new legislation on Town Planning had been part of the post war Western Australia. and eventuated with the creation of the Town Planning Department in 1954.
The department operated under the same name with varying responsibilities until the establishment of the Department of Planning and Urban Development in September 1989. The department was renamed the Ministry for Planning in March 1995 and merged with the Departments of Transport and Land Administration on 1 July 2001. On 1 July 2009 the department was superseded by the Department of Planning and the Department of Transport. In 2017, a departmental reorganisation led to the consolidation of all state government land use and heritage responsibilities under a single Department of Planning, Lands & Heritage.Functions and Responsibilities
The Department supports three ministerial positions:
