Overview
Water
The 2026-27 Budget includes new investment to enhance water security following the release of the State Government’s Made Possible by Water in March 2026. Funding has been allocated for desalination plants in the Pilbara and Perth and a new Regional Water Source Fund, delivered by Water Corporation, which will see $52.9 million invested into water source planning and investigation in regional WA.
Biosecurity
The Budget provides an additional $15.3 million over 2025-26 to 2029-30 for biosecurity incident and emergency management response activities, including $4.8 million for polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) management. There is also a $1.1 million investment from 2026-27 to 2028-29 to establish a PSHB surveillance and management program in Kings Park.
Biodiversity
Additional funding of $5.6 million over the next four years has been allocated to the Native Vegetation Policy Extension to deliver priority environmental reforms to streamline approval processes and improve environmental outcomes. The WA Vegetation Extent pilot (WAVE) will receive an additional $395,000 in the 2026-27 financial year from the Digital Capability Fund to continue work on the use of artificial intelligence to map and track native vegetation across the State.
Disaster, Climate Change, Coastal & Urban Forest
There is no new investment in disaster risk reduction. Climate change related expenditure focuses on decarbonisation for industry and the energy transition. There are no changes to funding for the CoastWA Program, following the 2025-26 mid-year review which extended the Program for another three years. Urban forest funding, delivered by the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage (DPLH), has been retained with a $7.5 million in grants remaining available over the next three years.
WALGA Comment
Water
WALGA welcomes the investment in water source planning and investigation. This broadly aligns with WALGA’s advocacy position calling for a state-wide framework for integrated regional and catchment-scale water planning.
Biosecurity
WALGA welcomes the additional investment in biosecurity. However, the State Government commitment falls short of WALGA’s budget ask of $20 million additional funding per annum for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to ensure WA is prepared for and can respond to increasing biosecurity threats.
WALGA is concerned that more funding has not been allocated to the PSHB response. WALGA’s budget submission identified that to stop the spread of the borer, at least $45 million over four years was required for Local Governments and $7 million over three years was needed to support residents in the PSHB Management Zone.
Biodiversity
WALGA welcomes the investment in improving the environmental regulation associated with native vegetation. Local Government find the current regulatory system complex, time-consuming and costly, leading to significant delays for critical infrastructure. WALGA will continue to call for funding and coordination for a statewide biodiversity survey program to standardise habitat and vegetation mapping.
Disaster, Climate Change, Coastal & Urban Forest
WALGA has consistently called for the State Government to invest in infrastructure betterment as part of post disaster recovery, so essential public assets are rebuilt stronger and more resilient. While the State Budget acknowledges that climate change is driving more frequent and severe natural disasters, no funding has been allocated for betterment. Establishing a $10 million reserve fund for disaster resilient reconstruction of essential public assets, in line with WALGA advocacy, would reduce future recovery costs and support long term community resilience.
The Regional Climate Alliance Program was not funded and no new programs to assist Local Government to mitigate or adapt to climate change were included.
WALGA welcomed the State Government’s three-year extension of the CoastWA program at the 2025-26 Mid-year Review. While the extension is a positive step, WALGA will continue to advocate for long-term funding certainty to support Local Governments in planning for and adapting to coastal risks.
WALGA welcomed the release of the Urban Greening Strategy and some associated funding. However, the Budget does not provide additional funding to extend the Urban Canopy Grant Program. WALGA continues to call on the State Government to expand the program to include Local Government and be available statewide, with a $40 million commitment over the next ten years.
