Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the members who have contributed to the debate on the Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Amendment Bill 2021. There have been good contributions from all sides of the House on an important subject, and the assistant minister, the member for Brisbane, has led great consultation and communication around our waste agenda more broadly; I want to recognise that in the House today.

I want to recognise the importance for every single Australian of this government taking a proactive and committed approach when it comes to federal policy that looks after our waste, leading from a prime ministerial statement two years ago where the Prime Minister said, 'It's our waste, it's our responsibility, it's our economic opportunity.' Much of the agenda on waste has led from that statement. It's been backed in by solid commitments like our Recycling Modernisation Fund—$690 million of federal money matched by industry and state governments, so that everyone has skin in the game. We know that the projects that will be developed under the Recycling Modernisation Fund will be real, be lasting and deliver that economic opportunity and, most importantly, deliver 10,000 jobs over 10 years, many of them in regional Australia. All this leads from this government's determination to turn waste—about which, I think it's fair to say, people a generation ago said: 'Put it in landfill. Don't worry about it. It's someone else's problem', and they certainly never saw it in the context of remanufacturing, recycling, remodernising and repurposing.

The hazardous waste act implements Australia's international obligations under the Basel Convention, which controls the movement of hazardous waste between countries. This legislation aligns our laws with our international commitments and ensures we take responsibility for our waste plastic, managing this waste in a way that minimises harm to human health and the natural environment not only in Australia but also overseas. The hazardous waste act will now align with best practice regulation, and the most appropriate tools will be in place for the government to efficiently regulate the movement of hazardous waste. These changes will better protect Australians and our environment. I commend the bill to the House.

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