Dr Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Environment and Biodiversity spokesperson
Following the tabling of container deposit legislation yesterday, the Liberals have brought another core Greens’ policy to Parliament today – a statewide waste levy.
This is welcome - it’s seven years past time we adopted this simple and sensible policy.
The Greens have promoted a waste levy for decades. It’s critical for putting downward pressure on landfill, and for providing statewide investment into a circular economy.
The Liberals came into government in 2014, with local government and the recycling industry calling for them to introduce a waste levy. However, then-Environment Minister Matthew Groom refused to sign it to legislation, and the environment has suffered since.
While the state waste levy has been sitting in consecutive environment ministers’ in-trays since 2014, mountains of waste have kept clogging up waterways and landfill sites.
After deliberately delaying for seven years, we are so glad the Liberals have finally taken action on this important environmental policy. The Greens will be moving to ensure the statewide levy will be invested directly into waste reduction initiatives, instead of sucked into general state coffers.