The State's first State Environmental (Cockburn Sound) Policy and implementation documents for the protection of Cockburn Sound were released by the Minister for the Environment in January 2005, after extensive scientific and public consultation.

The Policy has been reviewed and updated and has been released as the State Environmental (Cockburn Sound) Policy 2015.

The Policy is backed by the powers in the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and authorises the Cockburn Sound Management Council to report annually on the 'State of the Sound'.

Environmental Quality Criteria Reference Document for Cockburn Sound (April 2017) - Published by the Environmental Protection Authority, this technical document enables interpretation of the Policy. It was revised and updated and a new version released in April 2017.
Manual of Standard Operating Procedures for Environmental Monitoring against the Cockburn Sound Environmental Quality Criteria (2003 - 2004) - Published by the Environmental Protection Authority, this technical document enables interpretation of the Policy.