Trent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

notes:

that in December 2020 the Government passed Australia’s first ever national waste legislation, the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, through the Parliament and that this legislation implemented a waste export ban; and

measures introduced by the Government to increase recycling, including the Recycling Modernisation Fund and the National Waste Action Plan; and

commends the Government for providing national leadership on this important issue and for working with state and territory governments and industry to boost onshore recycling processing, providing economic reform and effective environmental management.

I am pleased to move this motion which recognises the work of the Morrison government to transform the way in which Australia manages its waste stream. The government has set ambitious goals for Australia to take responsibility for our waste, to reduce plastic in our oceans and to support recycling. We are backing these targets with strong leadership, financial support—in fact, $1 billion—and new world-leading recycling legislation. Australians want to do the right thing and ensure the waste we generate does not simply end up in landfill or cause harm to the environment as litter or more serious pollution.

Many of us of my generation saw the potential economic value of waste and recycling when we were just kids. For me, my first income-earning activity was collecting aluminium cans. I think I could get one cent per can at a recycling centre. I remember weekends spent scouring rubbish bins and collecting cans that had been thrown away as litter. Despite little interest in rugby league, football grounds like the local Henderson Park, home of the then mighty Newtown Jets, became a drawcard because of the bounty of drink cans that could be collected. Today, a new generation of young Australians is equally interested in recycling but perhaps for more altruistic reasons. In my own electorate I have been so impressed by the work of many school students who have campaigned hard to reduce plastics and their impact on the marine environment. This is an issue I have spoken about before in this parliament, because our world's oceans risk devastation if we don't reduce that waste—80 per cent of which is plastic that poses such a great threat to marine wildlife.

Better management of our waste can fulfil these twin outcomes: protection for our environment while also utilising resources which will bring economic benefits. That's why I am pleased that Australia now leads the world in taking responsibility for our own waste. As the PM has said, it's our waste, so it must be our responsibility. We are the only country in the world that has banned the export of its unprocessed waste glass. We will shortly be banning unsorted and unprocessed plastics, tyres and paper and cardboard for disposal overseas. For too long, we were shipping out of sight and mind our own waste problems, often to nations that did not have proper stewardship. Too often, we saw that waste coming back—not as recycled products, but returned by ocean currents as litter on our own shores. The new approach is already bearing fruit. Since the ban was agreed, exports of plastic waste alone have fallen by about 5,000 tonnes per month. By accepting responsibility for our waste through the export bans, we are actually creating new economic opportunities for Australians. Our waste export ban is being implemented in a phased approach and began on 1 January this year for all waste glass. Over the course of this year, additional bans on waste streams will take effect for tyres and various forms of plastic.

But our approach does not stop there. To simply ban waste exports would create problems in Australia if we were not to be matching that by expanding our own domestic recycling industry. That's why the government has committed $1 billion to drive the transformation of our waste and recycling businesses. This will generate something like 10,000 jobs and divert 10 million tonnes of waste from landfill. Backed by ambitious targets, our approach addresses the full gamut of the waste stream, creating new industries, promoting stewardship and the uptake of recycled products, addressing excessive packaging and also promoting textile and food waste. For example, $49.4 million is being spent to help halve Australia's food waste by 2030. Food waste costs the economy around $20 billion each year, and each year we waste around 7.3 million tonnes of food. This wastage equals about 300 kilograms per person, or one in five bags of groceries. This is far too much.

All of us can play our own part, from the decisions we take in our homes to the support we provide to activities like Clean Up Australia Day. I want to thank the many hundreds of my local residents who were out collecting waste just a few weeks ago on Clean Up Australia Day. When we do so as individuals, it is important to know that governments across Australia are working alongside us to support our efforts to reduce the impact of waste, which is why I'm so pleased this government has made recycling and better waste management a priority. We can lead the world and, in doing so, leave future generations with a more sustainable economy and a better environment.

Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm glad to speak to the motion. I'm grateful to the member for Sydney. He is a person who understands the crisis facing our environment on multiple fronts. I suspect that he is at least occasionally concerned and frustrated by the shortcomings and underperformance of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government, including in the area that is the subject of this motion. The reality is that for the first six years of this coalition government nothing whatsoever was done to improve Australia's waste and recycling outcomes. It was the decision by countries in the Indo-Pacific to stop accepting our waste that prompted this government, now into its third term, to implement the export ban. The current national waste policy and accompanying product stewardship framework was accomplished by Labor 10 years ago. For nearly seven years the coalition did virtually nothing to add to that work. Since 2018, we've had a Prime Minister who loves marketing. He loves packaging. There's been a push to use waste and recycling as a conveyer belt of shiny announceables that gives the appearance of environmental action, which in turn gives some Liberal members something they can cling onto in the otherwise scorched earth landscape of the coalition's environmental performance.

We know they've done absolutely nothing about climate change. They've embarked on the self-harming demonisation of renewable energy. There's been a complete vacuum in relation to EPBC reform, coupled with departmental funding cuts in the face of a worsening extinction crisis. And there's been a wilful blindness when it comes to the impact of catastrophic fire and flood risks. That is quite a rap sheet. It's a record of serious neglect and incompetence. But, hey, look over there! We've passed a bill to ban the export of waste that other countries already refuse to accept! Never mind that we've failed to support the infrastructure required to recycle that waste, especially plastic! Never mind that product stewardship, government procurement, material standards and labelling have all been left untouched by the rolling sequence of coalition environment ministers—four ministers in five years! So, despite the government's strong desire to present its work on waste reduction and recycling as their lone environmental achievement, the reality does not bear that out.

We know that three-quarters of the funding under the recycling investment plan announced two years ago remains unspent, including all of the $100 million loan funding through the so-called Recycling Investment Fund. We know that's why the government finally adopted Labor's policy and introduced some direct funding in new recycling infrastructure, which should have preceded the export bans and now comes two years late. We know that barely five per cent of the much vaunted contribution to the Pacific Ocean Litter Project has been provided, even though plastic trash remains a terrible health and environmental burden on Pacific islands. We know that waste overall has risen, even though the Waste Policy Calls for a 10 per cent reduction by 2030. We know that the rate of plastic recycling, in particular, has fallen. It's got worse—from 12 per cent to nine per cent, according to the national waste accounts—and the target for incorporating recycled plastic in packaging is badly off track. It's barely two per cent.

Only last week, the business sector has pleaded with the government to stop sitting on its hands with respect to the elimination of harmful and unnecessary single-use plastic. That last point goes to the reference in the motion to the importance of the Commonwealth showing leadership in its collaborative work with the states and territories. That's one of the standard ways any federal government can achieve positive change and prevent our federation from going about tackling national changes in eight different ways across eight different state and territory jurisdictions. That should be how we go about tackling waste and recycling. We've seen a version of this already with the container deposit schemes.

In 2019, Labor committed to leading a process that would deliver a national container deposit scheme. In the meantime, the states and territories went about implementing their own schemes. The Morrison government wasn't interested in that national leadership piece, and now we have those eight schemes either in place or forthcoming. They're not nationally consistent. What's the No. 1 national policy ask of the Australian Beverages Council? For a nationally consistent system—surprise, surprise.

We face a similar issue right now with eliminating harmful single-use plastics, because everyone in the sector, in civil society, in states and territories and in local government are looking at this problem. As with the container deposit schemes, the states and territories are the ones taking action—South Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and most recently WA. Where's the national leadership? It's going to be a costly mess for business. There are going to be complications and confusion for Australian households. That's the result when you take a hands-off approach at the national level. That's the problem when you leave the hard work to everyone else. The Morrison government should give up its cynical quest for some half-convincing environmental gesture and knuckle down to the difficult but necessary work of government.

Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise with a great sense of pride and a strong voice for my constituents of Higgins who care passionately about recycling and waste and who care deeply for their environment. I rise to support the motion by my good friend and colleague the member for North Sydney.

I'm proud the Morrison government has stepped up to ensure that, as a country, we take responsibility for our own waste. Our policies are delivering real outcomes not only for our natural environment but for our local economy, which is ultimately delivering the jobs of the future. The Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, along with the measures introduced by the Morrison government through the Recycling Modernisation Fund and National Waste Policy Action Plan are pragmatic and practical. They're what Australians have called for and are now what they have.

Australia generates about 67 million tonnes of waste each year, but only 37 million tonnes are recycled. That's about half of our waste that's recycled every year. Only 12 per cent of the 103 kilograms of plastic waste generated per person in Australia each year is recycled, and this is mostly overseas. That's 103 kilograms of plastic waste per person. That is almost double each person's body weight. On Clean Up Australia Day recently in Higgins I attempted to collect a body-weight bag worth of plastic along Gardiner's Creek. I didn't quite get there. Lucky, waste seems to have reduced in Gardiner's Creek due to the great work of my local constituents—each year it gets better in Gardiner's Creek—but I did attempt to do it. This waste problem isn't unique to Australia, but it is a problem the world needs to face together for the safety of the planet. A European Union report estimates the production of virgin plastic will account for 20 per cent of global oil consumption and 15 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. These are looming problems, and we need to take decisive action. It's our duty and it's our responsibility.

The Recycling and Waste Reduction Act works to end the 640,000 tonnes of rubbish, including plastic, paper, glass and tyres, that Australia ships overseas every year, mainly to China. As the Prime Minister has said, it's our waste, and it's our responsibility. To that end, we need to rapidly grow our waste and recycling industry to meet our growing needs. Banning the shipments of these types of wastes provides a moment in our history to pivot to build our own sovereign capability to deal with our own waste. Think of how we are saving on emissions by managing our waste at home, not shipping it off somewhere else for someone else to deal with.

As Australians, we should all welcome the $190 million commitment for the new Recycling Modernisation Fund announced in the recent budget, plus the $60 million for the National Waste Policy Action Plan that will improve our waste data collection and halve our food waste by 2030—that's right; you heard me. As a mum with four kids, I know how bad food waste can be. We've got a worm farm at home, but we need to do more. I was very happy to launch the Fight Food Waste CRC, which has some of the funds going to help scientifically develop technologies to do better with our food waste. It will also provide the basis for those who design, manufacture and distribute products to take greater responsibility for the impacts of these products on the environment.

These key changes not only reduce the amount of products that go to landfill but tackle the plastic pollution that goes into our waterways and oceans. We need to put an end to horrible developments like the great garbage patch floating in the Pacific off the US coast. Both the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act and the new Recycling Modernisation Fund will help give Australians confidence that, when they put their recycling bins out, their waste will be collected and recycled properly and responsibly, not simply dumped in landfills overseas.

I'm proud to have been a strong voice in calling for a recycling and waste inquiry as a member of the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources. This inquiry, which has just been completed, aimed to provide a bipartisan understanding of how we can build the sector to meet our country's growing demands. I commend the report due to be released in the coming weeks to all those passionate about keeping our planet healthy and safe.

The Morrison government has led the nation in taking responsibility of our waste. It is working to help make sure that the states and territories collaborate and coordinate across these different legislative boundaries, and I welcome these developments. We need continued leadership and investment in recycling innovation and modernisation of our waste industry to be of benefit to not only our natural environment but our local economies through job creation for the 21st century.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on this motion. Recycling, waste reduction and establishing a circular economy will be vital in our fight to protect our environment, and I commend the member for North Sydney for raising this important issue in this private member's motion. However, recycling and waste reduction policies, as with all other important environmental policies, need clear leadership, and this is precisely what is lacking from this government. I say this because, as a proud South Australian, I have seen the potential of change in waste practice when a government presents a clear policy and message, just as previous state Labor governments did in my home state of South Australia.

South Australia has a long and proud history of being a trend setter when it comes to recycling. In South Australia, we introduced Australia's first container deposit legislation in 1977. As a result of this policy, we led the nation in the recovery and recycling of beverage containers. In 2019-20, SA had an overall return rate of 76.7 per cent. SA was also the first place in the nation to ban lightweight, check-out-style plastic bags in 2009. The success of these initiatives meant that SA was unanimously on board when we became the first state to pass legislation banning single-use plastic products. I mention these examples because they demonstrate two important things—firstly, that there is a strong appetite and acceptance in the community to do more to reduce waste and to use recycled products, and, secondly, that with good leadership so much can be achieved. The question is: why isn't this federal government showing leadership on this issue?

The world is facing an acute problem with plastic waste, especially in terms of the impact on our marine environment. Who can forget the images of floating plastic islands the size of small countries on our oceans, or marine life killed by ingested plastic? Waste and how we dispose of it is everyone's problem, but we look to our leaders to lead in this area. Unfortunately, in the case of recycling there is no leadership by this current government. Data shows that since 2016-17 Australia's recycling rate for plastics has dropped from an already unacceptably low 12 per cent to nine per cent, and total waste has risen 10 per cent, from 68 million tonnes per annum to a record 76 million tonnes. This flies in the face of the National Waste Policy targets of reducing overall waste by 10 per cent by 2030 and achieving a rate of 80 per cent average resource recovery from all waste streams by 2030. We need to do better than this if we're to get on top of this problem.

In essence, we need to establish a circular economy in Australia. This will ensure that we are both reducing the amount of waste going into landfill as well as ensuring that we are recycling and repurposing as much waste as possible. This is more important than ever, since the waste export ban came into effect at the beginning of this year. The government needs to deliver a national plastics plan to increase recycling rates and reduce plastic pollution, reform the Commonwealth's sustainability procurement guide with actual targets for the use of recycled material and support wide-scale recycling infrastructure. We need to set national standards and specifications for the use of recycled content in capital works projects, especially road and rail, and baseline levels for recycled content in road construction. Without such measures, Australia's growing waste will inevitably need to be stockpiled or landfilled, causing continued damage to our environment.

The waste and resource industry has long been calling on this government to show leadership in creating demand for recycled materials. This will underpin investment in the necessary infrastructure and innovation, and Australia could be a leader in this area, creating manufacturing jobs and fuelling our recovery out of the current economic crisis. This government is in its third term and 7th year and it has failed to make even the slightest improvement to the rate of plastic recycling. It's definitely failed to show leadership in this growing problem. Australians and our environment deserve better.

Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are so fortunate in this country to have such an amazing natural environment. From dense rainforest to barren deserts, the sea to the bush, we are truly very, very lucky. However, with this great fortune comes great responsibility. We must protect our environment and ensure the next generation can enjoy it just as we have. A fundamental part of this responsibility is how we look after our waste. We know that Australians want to do the right thing and ensure that what they put in their recycling bin does not end up in landfill or cause harm to the environment. There is no point encouraging people to recycle if they can't even ensure it will be disposed of properly. The federal government has listened and is delivering.

We are the only country in the world that has banned the export of unprocessed waste glass for disposal overseas, and we will shortly ban unsorted and unprocessed plastics, tyres, paper and cardboard being disposed of overseas. Since the ban was agreed, exports of plastic waste alone have fallen by around 5,000 tonnes per month. Australia's first ever waste and recycling laws put Australia's world-leading waste export ban in place and create unprecedented economic opportunities, encouraging best practice in product stewardship and protecting our marine environment. An over $1 billion transformation of our waste and recycling industry will create 10,000 jobs and divert 10 million tonnes of waste from landfill. This will turbo charge our waste management and recycling sector to recover and remanufacture waste materials.

The federal government's investment in the Recycling Modernisation Fund and measures to support the National Waste Policy Action Plan will create 10,000 new jobs over the next 10 years by expanding Australia's recycling industry and infrastructure. The 10,000 job figure is based on jobs created by increased recycling onshore as a result of this export ban, construction related to investment in infrastructure and increasing the current resource recovery rate to 80 per cent by 2030 in line with the National Waste Policy Action Plan.

Last year, environment minister, Sussan Ley, joined me in Reid for Clean Up Australia Day. At this event, I had a chance to speak with local community organisations like Our Living River, an initiative run by the Parramatta River catchment group to help make the Parramatta River swimmable again by 2025. Only a few weeks before that, I met with the youngest Riverkeeper Ambassador, Hannah Chalmers, who is a PLC Sydney primary school student and a descendent of Sir Edmund Barton. Hannah has won awards for her environmental app, the Green Elephant, and I have spoken at length in this place about the work that groups and individuals, especially our young people, are doing in Reid to protect our environment. I will continue to support their grassroots work.

Each year 800,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles are discarded by Australians. That's an average of 31kgs of textiles per person annually at a national rate of 15 tonnes of textile waste every 10 minutes. This is simply too much waste. The federal government will host a national roundtable on textile waste, bringing together the fashion industry, retailers, re-use charities, fibre producers, researchers and waste management experts to stop dumping clothes in landfill. This will go a long way, with $350,000 also being invested to support circular threads, a new group to be led by the Australasian Circular Textiles.

Food waste is another area where our society can do better. Each year, Australians waste around 7.3 million tonnes of food. That is about 300 kilograms per person. The federal government is committed to reducing Australia's food waste by 50 per cent by 2030. We are doing this not only because it will benefit our environment and our economy but because it is also the right thing to do. The government launched the National Food Waste Strategy in 2017 and in December 2020 added to that by establishing a pact called Stop Food Waste Australia. The purpose of this pact is to help industry drive change. One of its key actions will be to deliver a voluntary commitment program. Under this program, businesses will commit to reducing their food waste and will receive support to achieve their goal.

I will continue to use my voice in this place to advocate policy change which protects our environment so we can leave it in a much better place than we found it.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:31