Have your say on draft plans in preparation

What are Issues Papers?

An Issues Paper is prepared by the department, in conjunction with the Conservation Commission of Western Australia and relevant community advisory committees, at the beginning of the management planning process. The role of an Issues Paper is:

• To highlight actual or potential threats to the values of the management area and provide a starting point for addressing these threats.
• To increase the public’s understanding of the issues that will be considered in the planning process, so allowing informed submissions that can be used in compiling the draft plan. To facilitate community feedback on these and other potential issues that may need to be considered as part of the planning process.
• To enable the Conservation Commission to guide initial strategic decision-making.

An Issues Paper documents factors that will influence planning for the protected area and highlights how they might affect planning options. It is not an exhaustive discussion of the issues that need to be addressed during the planning process or of management options for the protected area/s. Issues may change throughout the planning process—some may become more important, others less important, new issues may arise and some may be resolved.

The Issues Paper is a scoping document, to encourage public input through the ‘Have Your Say’ brochure, and to assist with the preparation of the Draft Plan. There is also generally opportunity for further public involvement in the preparation of the Draft Plan, through public meetings and workshops, and always through the release of the Draft Plan for public comment.