Dob in a Litterer App

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (15:08): My question is to the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Conservation. Will the minister inform the chamber about the new Dob in a Litterer app and how the government is protecting our environment?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:08): I thank the honourable member for her very important and interesting question. South Australia has a very proud legacy of leading the nation on recycling initiatives. Earlier this year, we celebrated the 40^th anniversary of our nation leading container deposit scheme. I think it is the only piece of legislation, certainly from this state and perhaps nationally, that has received a heritage award. That scheme was introduced by the Labor government of Don Dunstan, of blessed memory, back in the seventies, with the strong support of KESAB at the time, as a market-based solution to encourage people to recycle their beverage containers.

Fast forward to 2017 and we are still leading the nation with almost 80 per cent of our waste diverted away from landfill because of market-based interventions led by Labor governments. Importantly, the consumer-led actions of reducing and reusing and recycling help to maintain our state's reputation as a clean and green environment. That is why we are recognised around the world, not just for our remarkable natural landscape but the fantastic condition that we as a community keep it in. It is in the same clean and green spirit that the brand new Dob in a Litterer app was launched. The app, designed by the Environment and Protection Authority, has been developed to give community members a full range of tools to help combat littering, particularly litter that has been dropped by motorists.

Unfortunately, too many people these days feel it's okay to discard cigarette butts or lit cigarettes, which is particularly worrying, even from their vehicles, but also fast-food packaging and other waste. General rubbish, of course, is bad enough, but in a place like South Australia, so prone to bushfires in so much of our state, we are all too familiar with what can happen when a stray cigarette butt lands in grassland when it's still lit.

I am advised that there is research at the national level from the University of Wollongong that identified that almost 47 per cent of bushfires ignited between 1997 and 2009 were due to these sorts of accidental disposals of things like lit cigarette butts being dropped from cars, so this app is very important. It's very important for reducing littering in the environment and it's also very important in educating people about the danger of tossing lit cigarettes or butts out of car windows. We can help reduce the risk of bushfires by educating the public further, whilst also maintaining our clean and green reputation, which is incredibly desirable.

The app, I am advised, is compatible with Apple and Android phones and tablets, whatever they might be, and online reporting can also be made through the Dob in a Litterer website at www.dobinalitterer.sa.gov.au. I am told it will feature a variety of tools, such as the ability to take a photograph of the offending vehicle, with a very easy to use interface, which I am sure is a good thing. The app and website will guide people through the details required for a successful report, which include the following:

alleged offender's vehicle details, including licence plate number, make/model and colour;

whether the alleged offender was the driver or passenger;

the location of the offence; and

the time and date of the offence.

Once a report is made, it is automatically submitted to the EPA. It will then be reviewed and compared with registered ownership details for South Australian vehicles. If the registration details are matched and verified, an expiation notice may be issued to the vehicle owner. The expiation fee will vary, depending on the class of the material littered. For example, small amounts of general litter may attract a fine of $210 plus a victim of crime levy, whereas for class B hazardous litter (in this we include live cigarettes, used syringes and glass) the fine can be as much as $1,000 plus the victims of crime levy.

However, as part of the establishment of the app, a three-month grace period will apply where warning letters will be issued in lieu of fines under the program. This will help to increase awareness in the community prior to fines being issued. I would add that my expectation would be that, once someone has received one warning letter, that would be the end of their period of grace.

As at the end of last week, I am told, less than two weeks into the program, there have been more than 800 downloads of the app and more than 100 registrations made on the website. Mr President, I encourage you, honourable members of this chamber and any interested parties to download the app and see if you can make it work—I am told it has a very easy user interface—and see if you can find someone littering from a car and report it and we will educate them.

But I do make this very important statement. It is very important that if you are the driver and you are driving, please make sure that you do not use your phone, even if it has a dashcam on it, without it being safe to do so. Pull over to do any reports. Certainly, do not take photographs while you are driving if you have a passenger. That is the way it should be done. We do not want to increase any chance of unsafe behaviour in this regard. It is very important that people use this app in a very responsible way.

I would like to quickly close by thanking Green Industries SA and the EPA for their work on this initiative and their ongoing efforts to protect our natural environment. I am very pleased to see the uptake has been so swift and I look forward to more people accessing this new technology.