The Department of Communities was created on 1 July 2017 with the amalgamation of the Department for Child Protection and Family Support, Department of Housing including Housing Authority, Disability Services Commission, communities component of the Department of Local Government and Communities, Regional Services Reform Unit, and regional coordination and engagement component of the former Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
Following the Western Australian Government's public sector reform initiative in 2025, the Housing Authority, Social Housing Works and Tenancy Management, and the Government Regional Officer Housing were relocated to the Department of Housing and Works.
The Department of Communities brings together vital services and functions that enable individual, family and community wellbeing.
