Page 4722 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 31 October 2017
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Mr Wall has also discussed the numerous concerns we have had from local businesses about the impost on them and the risk of having to expose confidential data to their competitors. This in itself is a serious issue that the government has clearly not given much, if any, thought to. The phrase “recovery, re-use and recycling” is emblematic of the bill. The style of alliteration reads more like a slogan rather than an actual plan to achieve any substantive environmental goals. On that basis, the Canberra Liberals will not be supporting this bill.
It is clear the government has brought it on not to achieve any environmental goals, as it claims, but because it is blindly tacking on to the introduction of the scheme in New South Wales, it is part of the Greens-Labor alliance deal to secure government and it is another revenue-raiser for the ACT government that already spends too much of ACT ratepayers’ money. This scheme is not right for the ACT. This scheme is not right for ACT residents.
MS FITZHARRIS (Yerrabi—Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Minister for Transport and City Services and Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research) (4.59), in reply: The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Amendment Bill 2017 will amend the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Act 2016 to establish a container deposit scheme in the territory. As has been noted on this side of the chamber, this delivers on commitments made during last year’s election campaign. The container deposit scheme will assist the beverage industry and the community to reduce litter and promote the recovery and recycling of empty beverage containers, which make up 25 per cent of the litter stream in our streets, waterways, parks and roadsides.
The container deposit scheme is a positive step to encourage the community and the beverage industry to work together and create a cleaner environment. The bill was presented to the Assembly on 21 September 2017. To ensure that the scheme achieves its aim of reducing litter, increasing the recycling rates of used beverage containers and engaging the community in active and positive recycling behaviours, we need to make sure that it is easy for Canberrans to get involved in the scheme. That is why we are circulating a discussion paper asking this community some important questions now to help us identify where collection points should be located, what days they should be open and what will encourage people to return their empty beverage containers.
Submissions received from the community demonstrate that there is a high level of enthusiasm within the Canberra community to participate in the scheme. Community groups and organisations, like scouts, and multiple charities and sporting groups have expressed their enthusiasm as the scheme will allow them to raise funds, provide services to their communities and improve the environment.
Already, community responses we have seen here, and which we understand are common around the country, call for conveniently located container collection points providing a simple way to return empty containers for the 10c refund. Other themes that we have noted from the community were the need for prompt service when
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