The West Australian government has banned fracking in the popular south west tourist region and put in place a statewide moratorium, pending an independent scientific inquiry.

Premier Mark McGowan on Tuesday announced his government was banning existing and future fracking petroleum titles in Perth and the South West and Peel regions.

An inquiry led by Environmental Protection Authority chairperson Tom Hatton will assess the risk and regulations of fracking, used to extract petroleum products for the development of unconventional oil and gas supplies.

Onshore fracking in WA is restricted to shale gas since no commercially viable deposits of coal have been identified.