Page 4570 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 31 October 2018
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The committee reported that even small numbers of helium balloons can travel significant distances from far inland and enter the marine environment. As an example, the report noted that balloons have been discovered in the ocean at Bermagui that had been released from Albury the previous afternoon. They had travelled more than 300 kilometres. It is clear that it is easy for helium balloons from the ACT to pollute coastal marine environments.
Unfortunately, balloons often end up in the intestines of marine fauna. Balloons are attractive to both seabirds and turtles because they look similar to squid and jellyfish. Interestingly, according to marine experts, red balloons are the worst: they are particularly appealing to marine fauna, as they have colours similar to those of traditional prey species.
My suggestion in the amendment I will move is that members ask their own parties to take steps to reduce plastics and other harmful disposable materials. It is clear that balloons are an item that political parties should endeavour to eliminate.
Corflutes are another interesting plastic campaign item. You cannot have been in Canberra in the lead-up to the 2016 election without noticing that thousands of corflutes blanketed the landscape like a carpet of disembodied heads. Some of these corflutes still remain scattered in the landscape. I still hear reports from residents who are occasionally startled by a giant politician’s head peering at them from some long grass.
As we approach the next election, there is a discussion to be had about whether corflutes might be banned or possibly limited. That is an interesting topic, with a few other dimensions in addition to the environmental dimension. For example, how does it relate to freedom of political communication? I know many candidates, particularly candidates who might be independents or from smaller parties, who see them as an essential way to get their face out there. It is a tricky conversation, but the community sentiment after the last election saw some in favour of action.
In the meantime, I can tell the Assembly that there are many interesting ways to reuse and recycle corflutes. The Greens have been trying to implement some of these. The first step is to try to ensure that the corflute message is reusable. For example, instead of saying, “Vote Caroline Le Couteur 2016,” it can just say “Vote Caroline Le Couteur” or “Vote Greens”. Secondly, printers will reprint new election artwork on the blank side of corflutes, so they immediately can be used at least twice. Old corflutes can, of course, be made into self-standing A-frames. They can also be used as tree guards in revegetation projects. Community gardens often have uses for strong plastic sheets and stakes, for example for compost pile containment. Schools, disability groups and other community groups have uses for corflute material, for example for their own signs. Some other examples of things that we have managed to implement include recycling corflutes as house insulation, using them for insulation in chook sheds, and using them as new campaign signs or even just for art projects.
To conclude, the Greens are happy to support Ms Orr’s motion. We look forward to further action in this space to eliminate plastics and to mitigate the extensive damage
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