Media release – Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia, 16 November 2021
Tasmanian Opposition told to come to the party or get out of the way so we can create jobs
The Tasmanian Labor Party’s attempt to frustrate the introduction of the waste levy and stall the container refund scheme in Tasmania is thoroughly disappointing and makes no sense given the environmental and economic opportunities both present to the state.
Last week, the Waste and Resource Recovery Bill, which establishes the statewide waste levy, passed the House of Parliament, only days after the passage of the Container Refund Scheme (CRS) Bill. The Labor Party voted against the waste levy legislation and called for an inquiry for the CRS Bill before it reaches the Legislative Council.
“A waste disposal levy is an important economic tool to divert waste from landfill, incentivise recycling and resource recovery, and create jobs and investment in Tasmania. We know that recycling creates 9.2 jobs for every 10,000 tonnes compared with 2.8 for landfilling. Meanwhile, a CRS is a scheme we know not only reduces litter and plastic pollution, it also increases recycling and creates jobs, bringing investment to Tasmania and putting money back into householders’ pockets,” WMRR CEO, Ms Gayle Sloan, said.
“These are important reforms that will drive Tasmania towards a more circular economy where we put a price and a value on materials, incentivise higher order uses of our end-of-life materials, mitigate carbon emissions, and have the funds, through the levy, to build the capability and capacity to do so. The CRS also represents a true polluters-pay scheme where the generators of products are responsible for the cost of managing end-of-life materials as well as re-using of post-consumer recyclate in product design.
“The Labor Party is not only standing in the way of Tasmania’s progress, it is also trying to jeopardise these significant and positive reforms – ones that will drive numerous benefits for the environment and community, which we have spent years working with government to deliver,” Ms Sloan added.
“The waste and resource recovery industry, charities, local governments, environment groups, and the community unanimously support the proposed CRS scheme and its roll-out timeframe. We have spent two (2) years getting to this place – where has the Opposition been during this time? We have also seen in the other jurisdictions that a waste levy brings numerous economic benefits. These moves by the Opposition seriously impact Tasmania’s chance of benefiting from these reforms and progressing in its circular ambitions, at least in the short-term. The party needs to get with the program and understand the desire to progress and invest in Tasmania.
“It is unclear why these moves have been made by the Opposition at the eleventh hour when there have been public consultations on both important initiatives over the last 18 months, but what is clear is that there will be impacts on the procurement processes for CRS, which will be delayed, potentially depriving Tasmania of job opportunities in 2022. It is extremely disappointing that Tasmania’s progress in managing materials and carbon emissions is being held back,” Ms Sloan said.
Sarah Lovell MLC, Shadow Environment Minister, 16 November 2021
Labor makes no apologies for opposing broken promises
Labor makes absolutely no apologies for its position on the Liberal Government’s waste tax.
Shadow Environment Minister Sarah Lovell said Labor will not turn its back on Tasmanian families already struggling with the cost of living.
“During the recent election campaign, the Premier Peter Gutwein promised no new taxes for Tasmanians and he repeated this commitment in Parliament in June,” Ms Lovell said.
“This $20 million new tax will put rates up, it will put rents up, it will make it more expensive to go to the tip and it will also affect key Tasmanian industries.
“The tax is unfair and will most affect those who are least able to afford it. Labor does not support regressive taxes.
“And most of all, we don’t support the Premier saying one thing before an election and doing the complete opposite afterwards. Especially when this directly affects household budgets.
“Labor has proposed a simple fix to this policy that will be better for the environment and will put downward pressure on council rates.
“It beggars belief why the government is not even interested in this sensible proposal.”
Media release – National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC), 16 November 2021
Tasmanian Labor Party’s proposed new inquiry into waste levy and CRS unnecessary
The Tasmanian Labor Party’s bid to block Tasmania’s proposed waste levy and delay the introduction of a Container Refund Scheme (CRS) with an unnecessary new inquiry risks the development of new jobs in the ‘circular economy’, said the National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC).
NWRIC CEO Rose Read said Tasmania is the only state without a legislated waste levy which is leaving the state at the bottom of the pile in terms of recycling rates, which are currently at 39% compared to the national average of 61%.
“A waste levy sends the necessary price signal to industry to invest in recycling collection and processing infrastructure, creating new businesses, more jobs, secondary resources and diverting waste from landfill. It’s hard to believe the ALP would be seeking to block this reform and not support the development of new jobs,” Ms Read said.
“Without a waste levy and the funds it generates, Tasmania is unable to leverage around $9.5 million of federal and industry funds[1] to build the necessary recycling infrastructure to transition Tasmania to a circular economy.”
The waste levy is part of the Waste and Resource Recovery Bill 2021 and is designed to divert recyclable materials from landfill. It has been through a comprehensive consultation period, has been passed by the House of Assembly and is widely supported.
The Tasmanian Labor Party has also indicated it wants another new inquiry into the state’s Container Refund Scheme (CRS).
“The benefits of CRS are proven and NSW, the ACT, Queensland and Western Australia have all introduced a CRS in the last three years. From more jobs and higher recycling rates to social benefits for communities, it is unclear why this needs to be further investigated,” Ms Read said.
“The waste and recycling industry, local government, charities, community groups, environment groups and the community support the Tasmanian Government’s proposed model and want the scheme to start on schedule at the end of 2022.”.
The CRS being introduced in Tasmania is the split responsibility model favoured by NWRIC, where a Scheme Coordinator runs the administration and finance for the Scheme, while a separate Network Operator/s run the network of Refund Points.
Both the waste levy and CRS have been methodically developed through extensive consultation processes and present best practice models of operation.
“If we are to reach our target of an 80% resource recovery rate by 2030, every state and territory needs to look at how they are recovering materials and increasing recycling rates,” Ms Read said.
“Tasmania has nothing to gain from further delays in the development of the state’s circular economy. The community should not be disadvantaged, and government should be allowed to proceed with its reforms in a timely manner.”
[1] Federal government National Waste Plan including the Recycling Modernisation Fund offers $190million for infrastructure (with matching state and industry investment) and expects to generate 10,000 new jobs nationally https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/how-we-manage-waste/recycling-modernisation-fund
