❓ A parliamentary question scrutinising the appointment of Darren Walsh to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), focusing on the transparency and potential conflicts of interest. The response confirms the appointment process followed due diligence.
AnsweredQoN 1810Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the appointment of Darren Walsh to a five-year term on the board of the “independent” Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), and I ask: (a) when was Darren Walsh appointed to the EPA; (b) were nominations called for the position on the board to which Mr Walsh was appointed; (c) if no to (b), why not; (d) if yes, how many other individuals were considered for the position; (e) has Mr Walsh declared to the Minister or to the EPA any existing or potential conflicts of interest in relation to his role on the EPA; (f) If yes, what are those conflicts or potential conflicts; (g) does Mr Walsh or any of his immediate family own, hold shares in, or sit as a Director on, any companies whose projects, or whose client’s projects, are or may be subject to EPA assessment; (h) if yes to (yes), which companies or clients and which projects; and (i) have these actual or potential conflicts of interest been declared to the EPA in any of its meetings since Mr Walsh commenced as a member?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
27 February 2024
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Environment
Response time
2 days
(a) Mr Darren Walsh’s term commenced on 1 January 2024.
(b)-(c) An advertisement was placed in the West Australian newspaper on 20 and 27 May 2023 calling for Expressions of Interest in appointment to the position of EPA member, as required under section 7(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 .
(d) 10.
(e)-(i) Yes. All new appointments to the EPA are required to disclose to the EPA any pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests prior to commencing their term and participating in meetings, as set out under section 12 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 . Conflicts of interest are required to be declared at the commencement of each and every meeting of the Authority and a record is maintained.
(b)-(c) An advertisement was placed in the West Australian newspaper on 20 and 27 May 2023 calling for Expressions of Interest in appointment to the position of EPA member, as required under section 7(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 .
(d) 10.
(e)-(i) Yes. All new appointments to the EPA are required to disclose to the EPA any pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests prior to commencing their term and participating in meetings, as set out under section 12 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 . Conflicts of interest are required to be declared at the commencement of each and every meeting of the Authority and a record is maintained.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.