David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In September last year, in my first senator's statement, I said:

Our oceans are choking with plastic and other waste, yet conversations within our community are repetitive, and action needs to move at a quicker pace.

So it is a great privilege to stand in this chamber today to speak on the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 and related bills. What a time to get the opportunity to debate and pass this important legislation. Just last month we celebrated National Recycling Week, which is designed to engage with all Australians on the importance of recycling. This year's theme was 'Recovery—A future beyond the bin', which is about closing the recycling loop and buying products made with recycled content.

We are seeing private industry play a significant role in the reduction of single-use products. In my home state of Victoria we are seeing innovative companies, such as one that I'm very familiar with, called Returnr, which was founded by one of the co-founders of KeepCup, starting to see market growth on the back of developing ways to reduce single-use plastics with reusable solutions in the takeaway food industry. These local businesses are recognising that local communities, businesses and families have an important role to play in global sustainability. This approach needs pragmatic, sensible outcomes and not just virtue signalling.

The Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill is a wonderful example of a pragmatic, sensible approach to increasing our recycling and reducing the amount of waste that we send to landfill. One thing that we know for sure is that Australians want to be confident that when they put their bin out on the kerb everything will be collected and recycled. Australians do not want to see their recycling sent to landfill, shipped overseas or stored illegally to become a fire hazard that could explode in a fire at any minute. As the Prime Minister has said: it's our waste; it's our responsibility. That is why this government, under the leadership of Scott Morrison and the tireless efforts of Minister Ley and Assistant Minister Evans, has introduced this legislation.

This legislation will implement the waste export ban agreed by Australian governments in March this year and reform the Product Stewardship Act 2011. The Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill will phase out Australia's offshoring of 645,000 tonnes of plastic, paper, glass and tyres. It is important to remember that whenever we export our waste overseas we are essentially passing our rubbish on to other countries to deal with. The phasing out of Australia exporting its waste will ensure that it is dealt with here. It is our waste, and we bear the responsibility for ensuring that the highest waste recycling standards are met.

To meet the increase in waste being dealt with onshore, we must develop and transform Australia's recycling capabilities and capacities. To do so, the Morrison government is leading a billion dollar transformation of our waste and recycling industry. We are achieving this by helping to build onshore demand for recycled content and helping industry to invest in innovative technology to deal with it. These efforts will create more than 10,000 much-needed jobs and divert over 10 million tonnes of resources from landfill. As I said at the start of my speech, this bill will deliver a pragmatic and sensible approach to increasing our recycling and reducing the amount of waste which is sent to landfill, which is why the next aspect of the bill really excites me. At the same time as phasing out our export waste, we're also introducing reforms to the regulation of product stewardship. These reforms will incentivise companies to take greater environmental responsibility for the products they manufacture, including at the end of the product's life. As we on this side are very good at, it is a combination of carrot and stick: investing in greater environmental responsibility at the time of manufacturing while also investing in Australia's recycling capacity.

As senators in this place are aware, I am a member of the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, which considered this bill in great detail. One of the things that really stuck with me throughout the inquiry was how supportive Australian industry, business, green groups and local communities have been towards the waste export ban. All of these groups are supportive of this ban because they see it as a positive catalyst for change. The Morrison government sees it as an opportunity for change as well.

I mentioned Returnr before. It's a business that is shaking up the takeaway industry with their reusable products. But now I want to mention two other great businesses, in the fashion industry, who are also doing their bit to reduce waste. Newly back in Australian hands, RM Williams is offering $150 off new boots if you exchange your old boots. All traded RMs will be restored and replenished for future resale. The clothing brand MJ Bale will slash $200 off any new suit when you bring your old suit in to be donated to Moving the Needle, which is a business collaboration between Australian Red Cross, The Salvation Army and St Vincent's, or St Vinnies. These businesses are tackling the challenge of dealing with waste and recycling head-on and, at the same time, supporting charities and ensuring more Australians have access to great Australian fashion. As a Senate, we should congratulate them for undertaking these initiatives.

This government is striving to support these businesses that are supporting our waste export ban. We've introduced the most significant package of policies and funding commitments on recycling and waste ever brought forward by a federal government. We've introduced the National Waste Policy Action Plan, which will achieve, amongst many things, an 80 per cent average recovery rate across all waste streams and a significant increase in procurement of recycled materials, and it will halve the amount of organic waste sent to landfill. In addition, we are leading substantial investment in recycling through the new $190 million Recycling Modernisation Fund. This fund will use its power to leverage $600 million of new investment in recycling infrastructure. We are providing $35 million to deliver on the Commonwealth elements of the National Waste Policy Action Plan and $24.6 million to improve our waste data. These investments complement our already comprehensive $167 million Australian recycling investment plan. This plan includes $100 million under the Clean Energy Finance Corporation for large-scale projects using clean energy technologies to support the recycling of waste products; $20 million for the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund to kickstart product stewardship action; and Australia's first National Plastics Summit, which was hosted by this government in March and mobilised major pledges from leading companies including the Pact Group, Nestle, McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Coles. The outcomes from the summit will help inform Australia's national plastics plan and achieve a phase-out of problematic and unnecessary plastics over the next five years.

The Morrison government have a strong and positive story to tell on our efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling, and I'm proud to tell that story in this place. Our policies will reduce waste, incentivise the recycling industry and lift recycling rates. They'll tackle plastics pollution in our oceans and waterways. They'll ensure we build a healthy recycling and resource recovery industry in Australia. However, most importantly, we will give Australians the confidence that what they put in their recycling bin will actually be recycled.

Waste is not just an environmental problem to solve; it is an economic opportunity, and, because of the initiatives included in this bill, business will seize the opportunity to re-use and recycle, and they will do it here, at home in Australia.