Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Ghost nets are certainly a significant issue for marine life, Senator Macdonald. I wanted to thank the government for their kind words about Tim Silverwood, who left for the conference in Washington in the US today. The US Department of State and Senator Kerry asked him to go over and MC a very venerable panel of scientists on what is now one of the biggest pollution issues on our planet—that is, plastics in our ocean. Our ocean is turning into a plastic soup, and we all need to do something about it.

One thing I am hoping Mr Silverwood will talk about when he is at the US conference—and I understand our foreign minister, Hon. Julie Bishop, will also be there representing Australia—is the leadership that he wants Australia to take on this issue. The Senate held an excellent inquiry earlier this year into marine plastics. A number of senators in the chamber are calling on the federal government to take action, if the states will not, on a number of important policy levers, such as a container deposit scheme. I look forward to a positive recommendation from the government in relation to that report.

Question agreed to.