CONTAINER DEPOSIT SCHEME

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (15:01): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the council how South Australia is assisting in the campaign for a truly national container deposit scheme, and is the minister able to inform the council if there are any alternative policies in this particular area—or any particular area at all—from the purported alternative government, apart from drinking muscats at dawn at the Adelaide Club?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:01): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. I will certainly give him the first part of the answer and consider the second part of the question at the end.

As you know, sir, recycling is something we do particularly well in South Australia, and I have spoken about this at length before. The fact that our state's rate of waste diverted from landfill is amongst the world's best can be partly attributed to our container deposit scheme. Introduced in 1977, the scheme is a cornerstone of our resource recovery sector and a critical component in efforts to reduce littering and waste entering landfill.

In the financial year 2011-12, 81.4 per cent of all beverage containers were returned for a refund and eventual recycling within our state. This was more than 609 million containers, or 47,510 tonnes of material. Because of this scheme more than $60 million was returned to consumers and community groups in South Australia. These are excellent figures; world-class figures.

I am told that research undertaken late last year by independent consultants revealed that 98 per cent of the South Australian community supports the container deposit scheme. In 2006 the container deposit scheme was deemed so integral to our state identity that it was listed as a heritage icon, alongside pie floaters and Popeye boats.

The success of the scheme and its almost unanimous support amongst South Australian communities has begun to be recognised by the rest of the nation, and indeed the world. Needless to say I was very disappointed with the turn of events in the Northern Territory that led to the scheme stopping there. I was particularly disappointed with the role that the big three container manufacturers—Coca-Cola, Lion and Schweppes—and their representative body, the Australian Food and Grocery Council, played in undermining the legislation in the Northern Territory.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council continues to actively oppose container deposit schemes in any shape or form and, during the Northern Territory's democratic deliberations on the matter, they were promoting their own—and, may I say, entirely incorrect—representation of the South Australian situation to the media. Very recently the Australian Food and Grocery Council stated that South Australia's scheme is a 1970s solution to a 1970s problem. That is an ill-informed statement and, of course, is strongly opposed. South Australia has a world-class system of collection and recycling of beverage containers and whilst the legislation may now be more than 30 years old, it still remains extremely effective.

In response to their actions, I have recently written to the various national executives of these companies and expressed my disappointment on behalf of the South Australian government and our state. I reinforced the success that has embodied the South Australian container deposit scheme and its popular support, and I urged them to represent the situation properly. Nevertheless, because of the turn of events, the Northern Territory has pursued now a permanent exemption through the Council of Australian Governments process to the commonwealth's Mutual Recognition Act 1992.

I am pleased to advise that South Australia supported their endeavours strongly. I have been advised that all jurisdictions are supporting the Northern Territory in its request for a permanent exemption from the commonwealth Mutual Recognition Act. I expect that a regulation will now be developed by the commonwealth government to enable the Northern Territory to succeed in introducing its legislation once again.

This regulation will also require unanimous support from all jurisdictions, but given the support expressed to date this is looking highly likely. The South Australian government will not allow its incredibly successful container deposit legislation to be reduced by these manufacturers. I can put on the record that the Labor government will continue to speak about the environmental success story that is our container deposit scheme and will assist its implementation across the nation. We will continue to do so because it works and because 98 per cent of South Australians want us to do so.