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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-07-02 Daily Xml
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WASTE MINIMISATION

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:42): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a question about waste collection.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In January 2008, the minister (then minister for environment and conservation) invited councils to trial fortnightly collection of waste as part of a Zero Waste food waste trial. In June 2008, the government announced that 10 councils would be funded under the trial and that four councils would trial fortnightly collection.

In March 2009, I raised in this council the issue of the trials putting occupiers in breach of the Public and Environmental Health (General) Regulations 2006 which require owners to ensure that refuse on premises that is capable of causing an insanitary condition is disposed of as often as may be appropriate in view of the nature of the refuse, but in any event at least once a week. Last week the minister stated on Radio FIVEaa:

'The law is quite clear on it, Leon, that any waste that is insanitary is required to be collected weekly...the regulation is quite clear on that'.

However, a number of councils are currently either running or proposing to run fortnightly waste collections. Minister Weatherill has indicated on behalf of the government that the government will legislate to ban fortnightly collection of residual waste. My question is: until the government legislates the ban, will the government use any powers it has under the Public and Environmental Health Act or the Local Government Act to require councils to support our public health laws by providing weekly waste collection?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (14:43): As I said, this is a tired old opposition that keeps rehashing and regurgitating the same old questions. What is more, it recycles questions to ministers who are not even responsible for that area. He still has not worked out, even though I have put it on record many times, that the responsibilities for these various aspects of waste management—the trial and recycling—are those of minister Weatherill, and health regulations and whether or not a matter is sanitary is the responsibility of the health minister.

It is a tired old opposition, regurgitating and recycling the same old same old. As I have said in this place many times before, I am not responsible for the operational decisions of councils. Rubbish collection, including how often rubbish is collected, is obviously a decision that councils need to make in consultation with their ratepayers. I have put on record before how important I believe the process of public consultation is.

Obviously, my concern as the Minister for State/Local Government Relations is to ensure that councils adequately consult with their ratepayers. Whether they are participating in the food waste trials or just re-assessing the regularity of rubbish collections, councils need to ensure that they engage with their ratepayers and educate their communities on relevant details; for example, what is and what is not appropriate for recycling.

As the honourable member obviously has trouble hearing, I reiterate that rubbish collection is an operational matter for local government, and it is not my role as Minister for State/Local Government Relations to interfere with the day-to-day business of councils. I remind honourable members that I am not responsible for the waste issues in relation to the trial, but I am happy to pass that on to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. As I have already put on the record, the honourable member knows only too well that the Public and Environmental Health Act comes under the responsibility of the Minister for Health, so I believe the honourable member should direct those questions to him.

As a government, we work very hard to balance the different interests of our communities. Clearly, recycling and the re-use of our waste is a very important environmental issue. Trying to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill is an important environmental strategy, and we need to support policies that encourage members of the public to do that. However, we obviously have to balance that with other community interests and needs as well.

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