Environment Protection Authority

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (15:08): I would like to rise today to acknowledge that this month marks the 25^th anniversary of the commencement of the Environment Protection Act 1993 in South Australia and the beginning of the Environment Protection Authority as we know it today. The introduction of that act replaced six pieces of legislation back in 1993 and various statutory authorities. Licensing and approval requirements were also replaced and updated, resulting in a major streamlining of existing laws. Environmental issues, including air and water quality, waste management and environmental noise were now covered under a single act.

The principles and objectives of the Environment Protection Act have stood firm for 25 years. They remain relevant and capable of dealing with the ongoing environmental challenges that we still face today in South Australia. We now have the understanding and realisation that our society's past industrial practices have caused environmental harm that leaves a legacy today and into the future. As we all know, as recently as the 1980s chemicals used by industry were simply tipped down drains and poured onto soils to evaporate. There was a lack of awareness about the long-term impacts that this could have and laws were not put in place to prevent it from happening.

One of the EPA's most significant achievements in its 25 years has been the introduction of site contamination provisions in the Environment Protection Act, which came into operation on 1 July 2009. These provisions exist because the EPA recognised that site remediation can generate both public and private benefits by releasing previously contaminated land and allowing urban regeneration and renewal. This important work by the EPA keeps South Australia at the forefront of the nation in dealing with legacy contamination and realising the economic opportunities that this can create, particularly in those suburbs that are close to the CBD and particularly in former industrial areas.

Over the last 25 years, the EPA has evolved and developed as the state's leading environmental regulator. It has seen many achievements during that time that have improved the quality of life for many South Australians, such as the banning of commercial tanning units for cosmetic purposes, which took effect from 1 January 2015. It is no secret that South Australia has led the nation in recycling and resource recovery for quite some time.

Back in 1977, container deposit legislation was introduced into our state, and in 2008, under the watchful eye of the EPA, the deposit on beverage containers was increased, from 5¢ to 10¢, and in the following year a ban was implemented on single-use plastic bags in this state. As we know, it has taken in other jurisdictions across this nation to catch up with these innovations. Only last year, in January 2019, I released for public consultation the scoping paper, 'Improving South Australia's recycling makes cents'.

We now recognise that the deposit scheme that came into being in 1977 has evolved from its original intent of litter reduction to a strong resource-recovery mechanism, and the scoping paper considers potential further improvements to this already successful recycling scheme. Looking ahead, the EPA has put our state in a strong position to tackle future environmental challenges, such as adapting to climate change and being prepared for more frequent extreme weather events.

The EPA has also contributed to our state's transition to renewable energy and, as I mentioned earlier, the ongoing need to provide more knowledge and certainty in managing legacy contamination issues. I am pleased to see efforts to modernise the regulatory framework for managing radioactive materials and substances here in South Australia with a new Radiation Protection and Control Bill, which was introduced into state parliament in the last few weeks.

As part of meeting its responsibilities, the EPA works closely with communities, industry, local councils, universities and government agencies to enable innovative and sustainable environmental practices, and I am sure that the EPA will continue to work closely with stakeholders to uphold this focus on being a high-performing, effective and trusted regulator for the next 25 years and beyond.

I would like to thank the members of the EPA, its long-serving staff, including chief executive, Tony Circelli, who has worked there for all 25 years of the authority's existence, and also recognise the former minister for environment the Hon. David Wotton for his role in implementing this legislation and seeing the EPA come into being in South Australia some 25 years ago. Happy birthday to the EPA.