Ms ADDISON (Wendouree) (17:31): I too am very pleased to speak in favour of the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Bill 2021, following on from the members for Ivanhoe, Eltham, Geelong, Lara, Bendigo West and Footscray. There were really, really great contributions from people from across our side, because we get it. We know what this is about, and we are delivering it.

I note that the opposition is supporting this bill, but to be lectured by the member for Evelyn about kicking environmental issues down the road is a little bit rich. It is more than a little bit rich, it is actually a lot rich after what we have seen at COP26 and regarding 2050. We are talking about clear dates for when we are going to do stuff, not in 2050. I do not even know how old I will be in 2050. But to be lectured by you that we are not doing enough for the environment, I think you should take a bit of a look at yourself, because we should be incredibly proud of the contributions we are making to renewables, to recycling.

This bill is just another piece where we are moving things forward for a greener, better Victoria, and I am incredibly proud of it. I am proud of it for my kids, I am proud of it for my community and I am proud of it for all Victorians. Whilst you do—

Ms Vallence: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, whilst the member there was getting on her high horse, I really think that in terms of relevance and really talking to what this legislation is about—I appreciate it has been a wideranging debate, but the member is taking an opportunity to attack. I think she is completely misrepresenting. The minister’s second-reading speech refers to the fact that China’s National Sword policy was back in 2019. We are at the end of 2021, nearly 2022, so to say that they are not doing anything is taking a little bit of licence. I would ask that you bring the member back to the bill and the details and the specifics of the bill.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Ms Suleyman): Thank you, member for Evelyn. At this stage there is no point of order.

Ms ADDISON: Thank you very much. Back to 2021 and why this is so important. I do thank our Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change as well as her amazing ministerial office. In particular I would like to single out Annabel Harding as well as the great workforce at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning for the mountain of work they have done to bring this bill to the house.

It is an important bill worthy of support, and I am really pleased, as I said, that the opposition is supporting it and that the Greens are supporting it as well. It is really, really good that we have got a unity ticket on this, that we are all getting behind this bill and we are all going to back it in, and that is because it went through a whole lot of stakeholder engagement.

If you want a bill to connect with the community, and if you want a bill to reflect the voices of industry, you really need to consult. This bill has had extensive stakeholder consultation, which has been taken. This has occurred during the production of the Recycling Victoria plan as well as since that publication in 2020. Public feedback as well as advice from experts, industry and local government has thoroughly informed this bill that we have before us today. Importantly the department will continue to consult with stakeholders as the provisions of the bill are implemented and its specific standards are developed. This bill also has a charter of engagement, which calls for the preparation of a charter of engagement as well as detailed engagement strategies to guide consultation with various groups, including with regional communities, such as my own community in Ballarat.

Significantly this bill provides for a fundamental rethink of how we deal with waste materials and how moving to more effective and accountable practices can bring about environmental, economic and social benefits. Nationally in 2018–19 we consumed 3.5 million tonnes of plastic, and what is terrifying is that 84 per cent of these plastics were sent to landfill. Now, that is not sustainable.

This bill follows the release of Recycling Victoria: A New Economy, which laid out our government’s 10-year plan—yes, it is a 10-year plan—to reform the waste and recycling sector and transition our state to a circular economy. We are not hiding away from the fact that it is a plan, a long-term plan—not just a plan in an electoral cycle but a 10-year, significant plan. As I said, it was developed in step with key stakeholders, and what really underscored this was the need to transition away from a linear take-make-use-dispose model of waste management.

We all know that the interruptions to recycling in 2019 also demonstrated the need to proactively ensure the resilience of our waste and recycling services. The Recycling Victoria plan emphasises the need for such reforms and sets ambitious targets for 2030—which I am very proud of—for reducing and diverting waste headed for landfill.

The circular economy bill puts us well on the way to meeting these important goals. It provides legislative support for implementing a circular economy, ensuring that products and waste materials can be re-used as much as possible while also accounting for their environmental impacts.

This bill is going to establish Recycling Victoria as a departmental entity to guide and oversee the sector statewide, with a strong regional focus, I am happy to say. As previously discussed in other contributions, it introduces a container deposit scheme which will provide benefits for our environment, our economy and communities across Victoria.

To achieve this the bill builds the necessary legislative regulatory framework under the stewardship of Recycling Victoria. This role will allow for cohesion and consistency in waste management practices across Victoria. It also empowers Recycling Victoria with the various roles and responsibilities necessary to fulfil its purpose. It will support local governments in procuring and contracting waste and recycling services and in turn will require councils statewide—and this was mentioned earlier—to provide these services in a consistent and reliable manner, meeting service standards that Recycling Victoria will develop in close consultation with stakeholders.

These service requirements will be able to consider differing requirements of, for example, the residents of a multi-unit development or of regional Victorians, like those in my electorate of Wendouree. At its core this will ensure that Victorian households can expect equitable access to best practice waste and recycling services. Recycling Victoria will also be empowered to collect data and conduct inquiries in the waste and recycling sector, which will ensure transparency and accountability and will identify areas of potential future improvement. Proportionate enforcement powers will also be crucial in encouraging and ensuring compliance.

Finally, this bill will establish a container deposit scheme to be operated through split-responsibility models of governance. This scheme will bring about a broad range of benefits. I remember visiting Adelaide on a family holiday in the mid-1980s and thought it was marvellous that I could return my family’s drink containers to the milk bar and get money back for lollies. I was an instant fan of the CDS and still am.

The CDS will strongly incentivise the recycling of drink containers, combating the environmental impact of landfill and litter while also providing raw materials for innovative manufacturing opportunities. It will also provide community organisations with unique fundraising methods—I know this was a concern—either by directly collecting containers themselves or by receiving funds directly from Victorians who choose to donate their funds. This will be welcomed by local sports clubs and Scouts and Guides in my electorate of Wendouree.

The chosen model for the scheme, which has been informed by widespread consultation and research into similar programs worldwide, will promote market incentives and ensure a statewide network of convenient collection locations.

Together these reforms position this state well to achieve our 2030 waste and recycling target. Recycling Victoria will be established in mid-2022 and the container deposit scheme by 2023, which demonstrates that with this bill we are getting on with the job of implementing Victoria’s circular economy—not just a headline but actually working through the process of making this happen.

So when we look at the results, it is worth highlighting just how diverse the benefits of these reforms will be. Most immediately obvious are the bill’s environmental impacts, as increasing the availability of our recycling system brings about decreases in litter and pollution and leads to reduction in the emissions of landfill. I know that our community want action on climate change, they want to listen to the science and they want us to protect our environment for today’s Victorians and for generations to come.

I would just like to give a shout-out to some kids who are doing a great job at Mount Rowan Secondary College, Eliza Brown, Lucy Koros and Henry Brennan, who are developing an education program on plastic waste for their year 7s. You go. I am so proud that you care about the environment. You are looking to the future—and so are we. I commend the bill to the house.

 

Click here to read more of my contributions in Parliament. To access further Hansard transcripts, head to the Parliament of Victoria website.