Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to talk a little bit about Peninsula and Bay Scrap Metal Recycling. We all know that one person's trash is another's treasure, and at the moment it has never been a better time for local people in the Redcliffe Peninsula, Moreton Bay or north Brisbane areas to recycle at Peninsula and Bay Scrap Metal Recycling. I went down there the other day. People bring in all sorts of items: hot-water systems, old air-conditioning units, car bodies, metal bar stools—even the kitchen sink is recyclable. It's all worth dollars in your hand. Michelle Wardle, who is the co-owner of Peninsula and Bay Scrap Metal Recycling, said that years ago it was mainly tradies who were bringing in this scrap, but nowadays it's mums and dads and even some of the youth who want to earn a little bit of extra pocket money. So go down to Peninsula and Bay Scrap Metal Recycling, opposite the dog park in Clontarf; it's a great place to go. Michelle said the biggest change over that period has been people's attitude to recycling. She said that when she and her husband, Glen, began their business with partners Sharon and Craig McQuade, it's just changed so much, as people don't want public landfill anymore. So get your old metal and take it down to Peninsula and Bay Scrap Metal Recycling—a great local business on the Redcliffe Peninsula.

I'm proud that we as the Morrison government worked to get Australia's first ever national recycling act by passing the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 through the Senate six months ago. This legislation permanently banned the export of waste, including plastics, paper and tyres. Businesses like Quality Plastic Products are leading the way in Australia in developing technology to keep onshore and replace our imported plastic products for use in the gardening and nursery area. In fact, there is a production team negotiating with Bunnings right now to replace 60 per cent of their imported plastic products. Often these imported plastic products can't be recycled; they're made from styrofoam. This is great news for the environment, but it's also great for Australian jobs and jobs in the Petrie electorate.

Quality Plastic Products's tag line is 'Australian made from recyclable materials that won't cost the earth'. It's clever, but it's also true. We need to find creative solutions for our waste for the good of the earth. The Morrison government is backing business like Quality Plastic Products by awarding it a $465,000 manufacturing modernisation grant to invest in new robotic technologies that will encourage innovation, boost productivity and grow Australia's competitiveness. This will enable businesses like this to expand their workforce as well.