The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is a department of the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

. The department was established on 1 July 2022, superseding the water and environment functions from the

Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment The Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) was an Australian Government department which operated from 1 February 2020 until 30 June 2022. It represented Australia's national interests in agriculture, water and th ...

and energy functions from the

Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources was a department of the Australian Government responsible for consolidating the Government’s efforts to drive economic growth, productivity and competitiveness by bringing together ind ...

. The current and inaugural head of the department is the

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

, David Fredericks.

Operational activities

In an Administrative Arrangements Order made on 13 May 2025, the functions of the department were broadly classified into the following matters: * Environment protection and conservation of biodiversity * Air quality * Land contamination * Waste programs * Management of Industrial Chemicals * Meteorology * Administration of the

Australian Antarctic Territory The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is a part of East Antarctica claimed by Australia as an external territory. It is administered by the Australian Antarctic Division, an agency of the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the E ...

, and the Territory of

Heard Island and McDonald Islands The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) is an Australian States and territories of Australia, external territory comprising a volcanic group of mostly barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to An ...

* Natural, built and cultural heritage * Environmental information and research * Ionospheric prediction * Water policy and resources * Environmental water use and resources relating to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder * National water infrastructure investment * Development and co-ordination of domestic community and household climate action * Climate change adaptation strategy and co-ordination * Co-ordination of climate change science activities * Development and co-ordination of international climate change policy * International climate change negotiations * Greenhouse emissions and energy consumption reporting * Greenhouse gas abatement programmes * Energy policy * National energy market, including electricity, gas and liquid fuels * National fuel quality standards * Renewable energy * Renewable energy target policy, regulation and co-ordination * Renewable energy technology development * Industrial energy efficiency * Energy efficiency * Energy-specific international obligations and activities * Carbon management technologies policies and programs

References

2022 establishments in Australia Australia, Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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