The Department of Mines and Petroleum was formed on 1 January 2009 as a result of the Department of Industry and Resources being abolished under the Barnett Government. Two other departments - the Department of State Development and the Department of Commerce - were formed as a result of this departmental restructure.

The Department of Mines and Petroleum was tasked with providing a focus on the resources sector, maintaining a mining and petroleum regulatory role and incorporating the resources safety responsibilities from the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection.

Under the McGowan Government, the Department of Mines and Petroleum was merged with the regulatory and Labour Relations functions of the Department of Commerce on 1 July 2017 to form the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.