Legislative Council: Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Contents

Solid Waste Levy

411 The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO ().29 October 2024). Can the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water advise:

1. Are there currently any plans in place to increase the current waste levy rates?

2. The last five years of waste levy data in a table format including the cost, tonnes of solid and liquid disposal, metropolitan and non-metropolitan?

3. Has there been recent reports of excessive stockpiling at waste disposal facilities which is in contravention of Environmental Protection Agency licence conditions?

4. Why does the Environmental Protection Agency believe there has been increased stockpiling?

5. Have there been any reports of abnormalities or unusual deviations in recent (i.e. the last two years) mass balance reports (MBR)?

6. Have there been increases to overdue payments of the levy, increase to penalties, or overdue fees in the last three financial years?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): The Minister for Climate, Environment and Water has advised:

1. There are currently no plans to increase the current waste levy rates above the annual indexation increases that are implemented for all government fees.

2. Please see table provided below.

Metropolitan Solid Waste Levy rate Metropolitan Waste Disposal Non-metro Solid Waste Levy rate Non-metro Waste Disposal Liquid Waste Levy rate Liquid waste Disposal
$ tonnes (000) $ tonnes (000) $ Kilolitres (000)
2019-2020 110 * 560 55 * 221 38.3 19.5
140 ** 70 **
2020-2021 143 590 71.50 232 39.02 21.1
2021-2022 146 588 73 222 39.73 23.4
2022-2023 149 580 74.50 226 40.5 26.75
2023-2024 156 563 78 231 42.5 26

* 1 July 2019–31 Dec 2019

** 1 Jan 2020–30 June 2020


3. The Environment Protection Authority is unable to disclose details of active investigations of alleged contravention of licence conditions. The Environment Protection Authority manages the risk of excessive stockpiling at Environment Protection Authority licensed waste disposal facilities by regulating licensees to ensure they meet the requirements of their licence conditions.

4. As per the answer to 3. above, the Environment Protection Authority cannot confirm at this time that there has been increased stockpiling.

5. Abnormalities are occasionally identified, which are often found to arise from errors or omissions in the data supplied during the mass balance reporting process.

6. There have not been increases to overdue payments of the levy, penalties or overdue fees over the last three financial years.