The Tasmanian Greens today welcomed the passage of the amended Urban Drainage Bill (2013).
Greens Water spokesperson Tim Morris MP secured an important amendment to the Bill that would see a dramatic reduction in the amount of litter in Tasmania’s rivers and beaches.
“In a refreshing moment of tripartisan co-operation, Labor and Liberal joined to support a Greens amendment to the legislation to require councils to include a litter removal strategy in stormwater system management plans.”
“Once the Bill passes the Upper House, councils will be required to installing and managing their stormwater infrastructure so as to prevent the system washing litter into our rivers and on to our beaches.”
“About 90 per cent of the litter that washes up on our beaches gets there via the stormwater system.”
“As these measures are rolled out, it will help to solve what has been the chronic problem of litter accumulating in the rivers and in the wetlands and on beaches around our estuaries.”
“The amendment also requires councils to detail the systems they will put in place to collect the litter from devices such as litter traps so that the infrastructure that is put in place works as designed.”
“It is in debates like the one on the Urban Drainage Bill that shows the Parliament at its best; where politics are put aside and the good ideas are treated on their merits and supported is they can stand the scrutiny.”
“A Second amendment that reduced the time for councils to prepare and publish the management plans from 6 years to 3 years was also supported on the basis that all 3 parties deemed that it was reasonable that they should be able to complete this task in the life of the council that will be elected in October 2014, and not allow them to avoid doing it.”
“If only the same level of cooperation could exist on the establishment of a state-based Container Deposit Scheme then Tasmania could largely rid itself of the litter problem once and for all.”
Tim Morris MP Greens Water Spokesperson
