Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

As someone who does care deeply about this issue and has genuinely campaigned to reduce plastic pollution in oceans for nearly 15 years in and out of this place, I can tell you it was absolutely clear the Prime Minister first said in a press conference in Sydney that his daughter had asked him to take on this issue, because schoolkids, children, care about this. They wanted him to act. He very clearly said at the UN that he would address the issue of plastic pollution in the ocean. I ask any minister to tell me how this legislation tonight reduces plastic pollution in the ocean. I'm not being facetious or not genuine in any way about what I'm saying, but a waste export ban bans the export of waste, and the Greens support that. I like the idea that we can deal with this issue ourselves in this country; we shouldn't be sending low-grade waste, particularly if it's contaminated, to where it's out of mind, out of sight. I like the idea, but how are these bills going to tackle the issue of marine plastic pollution? They exclude plastic packaging, and I would say they deliberately exclude plastic packaging.

I do recognise what you said in your contribution, Minister—that APCO are going to seek to apply to become an accredited product stewardship scheme under the act, once the bills pass. That's great; I'll talk to Minister Evans about that. It was raised in the Senate inquiries, and I was glad that APCO said they were agnostic about that. I was glad when the Food and Grocery Council said that they would support that. So it's great that they're going to become an accredited product stewardship scheme, but it's voluntary. I don't need to remind the Senate of the fact that APCO have never met their targets; they've always fallen way short under the NEPM—under that alternative structure.

I once again tonight recognise that I do believe APCO are doing things differently. They are genuinely saying that they're pulling their socks up, but the problem is the recycling industry just don't agree with that. They have seen this problem going on for too long, and they want it addressed. Where does a ban on exports of plastic waste intersect with acting on plastic pollution in the ocean? It could actually make plastic pollution worse. If we go down the road, as outlined in Senator Hanson-Young's second reader amendment, to just burning this stuff for energy, do you know what that's going to do?

Let's put aside all the arguments for and against incineration of plastic—the arguments around efficiency, toxic emissions and CO2. The problem is that, if you continue to go down this road of the lowest common denominator—and, on the waste hierarchy, waste to energy is just slightly above waste going to landfill—you are going to produce more plastic and consume more plastic.

We know that plastic consumption, especially single-use plastic, is highly correlated with litter. That's the problem we have got with our oceans. Some of the plastics in our oceans come from maritime sources but the majority come from land based sources—from rivers, beaches, parks, landfill and a whole range of sources. If we don't change the way we consume and the way we produce and if we don't redesign for a circular economy then we're never going to solve this problem. This waste ban could be even worse if we don't have the architecture in place.

I argue that a ban on the most dangerous single-use plastics, which already have alternatives and which the Australian people want to see, is very sensible. Either way we're giving everyone three years to work with the states to go through that process, which I agree is very important. Senator McAllister raised it. Yes, we need to work with the states. Western Australia even said in their statement that they want to see federal leadership on this. We're all heading in the same direction. Here's an opportunity tonight to legislate that.

We've got three years to work through it. We'll at least have given the Australian people some certainty that this is going to happen. The federal government has shown leadership on what I argue—putting climate change aside—is the biggest pollution issue on this planet. We all have to play our part. We all have to do our bit. Plastic is through the oceans. It's a scourge. There's a toxic tide of this stuff. It's all through our food chain. It's through everything.

We have to start acting right now. Tonight the chamber has a chance to do that. I urge all senators to support these amendments. You won't be surprised to know that, if we don't successfully get these amendments up tonight, we won't be giving up, because I don't think the Australian people would find that acceptable. Minister, you seem to be not in a position to provide any detail around your plastics plan, but I greatly anticipate its release. I hope you have some very detailed and comprehensive strategies for phasing out single-use plastics. We'll continue the debate after that. I commend these amendments to the chamber.