Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Whilst we are on the issue of inconsistencies, I invite honourable senators opposite to consider some of the comments of the member for Flinders, who has been vocal in past time over the importance of using reusable shopping bags. I quote the member for Flinders when he took part in the Plastic Bag Famine as part of National Science Week in July 2004. He said:

This is a good time for people to give the reusable shopping bags a go. It not only makes sense, it is good for the environment.

Reusable shopping bags will save our landscapes, landfills and the lives of countless wild animals.

We do not often agree with the member for Flinders, but on this occasion we do agree with him: phasing out plastic bags makes sense: ‘It is good for the environment and it will save our landscapes, landfills and the lives of countless wild animals.’