Recycling Activity Survey

Ms HABIB (Elder) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Water. Can the minister please update the house on the performance of South Australia's waste industry in light of the recent results of the 2016-17 Recycling Activity Survey?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (15:00): I thank the member for Elder for her question. It's good to be able to update the house on waste management, and I'm not talking about the aftermath of 16 years of Labor government.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: I have obviously been waiting to say that for a long time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: Protect me, Mr Speaker! Protect me!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my right will cease interjecting.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: It gives me great pleasure to be able to update the house on the results of the—

The Hon. T.J. Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Primary Industries is warned.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —2016-17 Recycling Activity Survey. I am sure many members of the house will be interested to know the very good news that that survey has revealed.

Last week, I had the pleasure of being able to attend the Waste Management Association of South Australia's launch of the Recycling Activity Survey, and I was able to unveil the fact that in 2016-17, out of 5.27 million tonnes of waste generated here in South Australia, 4.4 million tonnes was diverted from landfill, a total of 83.4 per cent. To break that down a bit further, the statistics show that out of municipal solid waste 54 per cent was diverted from landfill; out of commercial and industrial waste, 87 per cent was diverted from landfill; and when it comes to construction and demolition waste 90 per cent was diverted from landfill.

These results are the best we have had in the survey to date and really are a tribute to a long-term waste management strategy that has been supported by both sides of politics over many decades here in South Australia. We know that our state leads the nation if not the world on some measures in terms of waste management. We have a situation now where, with 83.4 per cent of all waste being diverted from landfill, we really do have a very exciting story to tell the rest of the nation and the world as to how we got here.

You can look back to the 1970s, when we brought in the nation's first container deposit legislation, some 42 years ago now, which really set in place a very strong foundation for waste management in our state, diverting bottles and cans (both plastic and glass) from landfill and really changing the mindset of South Australia when it comes to effective waste management and driving forward innovation.

In the vein of innovation and waste management, it was great a few weeks ago to be able to launch the state government's $12 million industry assistance package for the waste management sector in response to the China sword policy. It has stopped taking South Australia's recyclable waste and, in fact, waste from across the Western world. That change in policy, and our subsequent response, is a real opportunity for industry to reform, to focus towards innovating and to create jobs in the sector.

We know that we lead waste management here in Australia. It's an area which does create jobs. It's an area where we can take good news stories to the world, and I look forward to being able to update the house on an ongoing basis of the things we are achieving here in South Australia in the waste management sector.