Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Goldstein is an industrious community of residents seeking to build an environmentally sustainable future for Australia. Gabby Samkova, a 25-year-old resident of Brighton East, has channelled her entrepreneurial spirit into a fantastic crowdfunding project. Under the banner of her company, SomerSide, she has created a towel made from recycled plastic bottles. The used bottles are washed, shredded and split into fibres, which are then mixed to create a soft, sand-resistant material. The result is a stylish and sustainable towel, each containing about 14 plastic bottles that would otherwise have gone to landfill. We should all admire Gabby's innovation and her resourcefulness. It's stories like Gabby's that highlight the role of enterprise and the capacity of the free market to reallocate resources, consistent with the needs and values of society, to help reduce waste and increase efficiency.

Reducing waste is a vital part of the government's plan to develop a 21st-century economy. The Prime Minister yesterday outlined the next step in this journey at the National Plastics Summit. Our government will invest in new recycling infrastructure across Australia and implement the environmentally sustainable trigger for federal contracts, driving a green jobs boom while working to safeguard our environment. These are practical plans, just like Gabby's, to build Australia's sustainable future for everyone.