Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government is boosting the circular economy and the thousands of Australian jobs that go with it as part of our economic recovery plan? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

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

Can I thank the member for Lindsay for her question. The Morrison government's recycling agenda is about protecting the environment and creating jobs. Australians want to be confident in their recycling—that everything is collected and recycled into something new with value, not wasted in landfill or shipped overseas. That's why this government is leading a billion-dollar transformation of the waste and recycling industry through legislation, investment and its purchasing power. This transformation will protect our environment, divert more than 10 million tonnes of resources from landfill and create more than 10,000 new Australian jobs. Last year we established the Recycling Modernisation Fund—a three-way partnership between the Commonwealth, states and territories, and industries—to make sure we've got the recycling capacity for the future. The way industry has stepped up has been incredible. Last month I was pleased to officially open BINGO Industries's $100 million state-of-the-art materials processing centre—

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Really?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMahon can leave understanding order 94(a).

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

in Western Sydney.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMahon is about to be named unless he leaves immediately.

The member for McMahon then left the chamber.

For those expressing surprise, you must have short memories, and by that I mean less than 10 minutes from when I mentioned the member for McMahon. The minister has the call.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is the largest recycling facility of its type in the world. And, as BINGO have said, they've been encouraged to invest in master recycling assets because of government policy that supports the development of a sustainable domestic recycling industry. The construction of this project has created 400 jobs. It will generate 200 jobs once operational, and it will achieve a 90 per cent recovery rate from landfill, which is incredible.

Last week I was in the electorate of the member for Mallee, and we visited Integrated Recycling, a company that takes plastic like vine covers and poly pipe and turns it into railway sleepers that have been approved for use by Metro Trains and V/Line. Not only are these sleepers more sustainable than concrete or timber; they actually outlast them. The Minister for Defence Industry delivered Defence's first recycled road, at RAAF Base Point Cook in 2020. The project consumed 600 kilos of waste plastics and 210 tonnes of concrete waste rubble as sub-base material. It demonstrates our determination to support our recycling agenda through government procurement. Construction, demolition and commercial industrial waste are the next phase of a very busy waste agenda for this government, but they are all about protecting the environment, creating jobs and growing the economy.