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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-04 Daily Xml
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WASTE MANAGEMENT

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. The minister recently informed the house of the success of the newly implemented ban on plastic bags. What further progress has been made to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill here in South Australia?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Early Childhood Development, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management) (14:40): I thank the honourable member for his question and acknowledge his commitment to the environment. I know that he represents many of his electors with that commitment.

It is true that the South Australian community has embraced the plastic bag ban. The vast majority of people have done this in a way that demonstrates that they can see the environmental benefit of it. Despite the predictions of doom and gloom from members opposite, this small change in behaviour, which will have a very substantial effect, has gone by without any significant—

The Hon. J.D. Hill: Despite the naysayers.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Exactly. Despite the naysayers it has gone by without any moment at all. However, there is the fact that we still continue to send far too much waste to landfill. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in the increasing quantities of e-waste (electronic waste) that we throw out.

Discarded, outdated or broken computers, televisions or other forms of electronic waste is a growing problem. We are considering banning e-waste from landfill here in South Australia. Indeed, we have an EPP presently being consulted in South Australia in recognition of the issues that it causes. We know that we cannot just ban materials from landfill without providing alternative disposal methods. I recently had the pleasure of opening a cathode ray tube recycling facility, the first in Australia and New Zealand. This facility will play an important role in recycling some of the 1.5 million television sets and 1.5 million computer screens that are discarded each year, and one can imagine that, with the changeover to digital television, that is likely to increase dramatically.

Whilst this and our plastic bag ban show that our state can successfully take the initiative on this issue, I am very keen to ensure that we have a national approach in relation to e-waste. That will maximise the effectiveness of anything that we seek to implement. In South Australia we try to seek a national approach before we go it alone; it is just that often it is difficult to achieve that. We have seen that with the container deposit legislation, which is an unambiguous success, yet it is difficult to encourage the other states to come on board, although I note with interest that the Northern Territory has announced its intention to come on board with container deposit legislation and other states are looking at it with interest.

I recently attended the Environment Protection Heritage Council meeting in Hobart where the disposal of e-waste was discussed. In this discussion a report was tabled showing what I think South Australians have known for some time, that is, that people are willing to go to some trouble, even expense, to manage their waste responsibly. This is not news here in South Australia, where not only the recent response to the plastic bag ban, but of course our iconic container deposit legislation, has demonstrated that we are more than willing to take action to help our environment.

There has been a tendency in the past for cost benefit analyses to look at recycling initiatives, such as CDL, and place a huge cost on inconvenience. So, they measure what they say are the costs and benefits of these schemes, but then they put in this massive cost alongside the column of 'inconvenience'. That does not take into account people's willingness, or indeed their enthusiasm, to recycle responsibly. So, it skews the cost benefit analysis in a way which means that the scheme is found, on that basis, not to stack up.

I think if you stopped any South Australian in the street and asked them what inconvenience the container deposit legislation caused them they would say none. In fact, they might even say that it is a benefit. So, it is on the wrong side of the column in terms of that analysis. In fact, if you are a scout you might say that it is a benefit.

An honourable member: Dob, dob, dob, dib, dib, dib.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right. I hope that there is no more talk at community cabinets of shooting scouts, because I think that was one of the really low points that we got to in a community cabinet when the former minister for the environment suggested that shooting scouts, or at least scout birds, to contain the corella situation was a possible option.

However, I return to the text. I was particularly pleased that discussions on recycling initiatives that were held at a national level now reflect that reality. An analysis that properly values people's keenness for environment initiatives is the best way to progress this much needed work across the country. What is exciting about this new analysis—which they called 'choice-based modelling', a catchy phrase—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Shall I tell you what my choice is?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That you want me to just stop talking? The choice-based modelling now allows us to effectively evaluate all these initiatives in a way that will mean many more of them will get up. At a national level, what has been happening is that the people who bring in these regulatory impact statements always say that these schemes never work, which means that on that level we have just been spinning wheels on product stewardship schemes that the rest of the world seems to be able to get itself organised to do, and which only South Australia seems to be able to embrace, but which are an obvious way that we can save waste in resources.

So, it is a great opportunity for all in Australia to follow South Australia's lead and the fantastic work of the former minister for the environment. The plastic bag ban championed by our very green Premier, who will probably go down in history as being one of the greenest premiers in the nation, leading on climate change legislation—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right. I hear howls from those opposite saying that he is not one of the greenest, he is the greenest! He has led the country in climate change legislation, he was asked to chair the regional governments' forum at Poznam, and he has been invited back to Copenhagen to continue that performance. In fact, the state continues to lead the way in relation to environmental initiatives.

I would also like to pay tribute to my predecessor in the other place, the Hon. Gail Gago, who played an important role in progressing these initiatives. I look forward to the national implementation of better waste management practices.

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