Senate debates Questions without Notice
Waste Management and Recycling: Plastic Packaging
Steph Hodgins-May Victoria, Australian Greens
2:18 pm
My question is for the Minister for the Environment and Water, Minister Watt. Minister, Labor has spent years promising stronger federal plastics packaging regulation. In 2023, Minister Plibersek conceded that voluntary targets are not working. Now this Labor government is walking away from the national packaging reforms that it promised. This Friday's meeting of environment ministers is an opportunity for Labor to do what it said it would do. Minister, how many more rivers need to choke, how many more landfills need to overflow and how much more plastic needs to end up in our bodies before you finally do what industry, environmental groups and Australians are calling for and mandate a national packaging scheme?
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
2:19 pm
Thank you, Senator, for the question. I wasn't really expecting a question from the Greens political party about the environment this week, certainly not one about whether the Greens political party deliver on things for the environment, because only a week ago we saw the Greens completely incapable of deciding whether they support native forests or not.
Steph Hodgins-May Victoria, Australian Greens
On a point of order on relevance, I don't need a preamble; I want an answer. Stick to the question.
Sue Lines President
Thank you, Senator Hodgins-May. I will listen carefully, but the minister is being relevant to your question. I'll continue to listen, and, if he is not relevant, I will draw him to the question. Minister Watt, could you address your response to me.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
Thank you, President. I am very proud of the record of this government when it comes to protecting the environment, including when it comes to matters of circular economy, recycling and waste, because it was this government that invested over $200 million in building over 70 new recycling facilities right across the country, including dozens of new plastic recycling facilities. It wasn't the Greens political party who did that; it was the Australian Labor Party who did that, because it's only the Australian Labor Party that has ever taken serious action on these issues.
I don't know whether Bob Brown is going to take up Senator Canavan's invitation to join the National Party, after Bob Brown was encouraging Greens senators to vote with the National Party only last week to stop protection of native forests. The idea that members of the Greens political party would come in and try to lecture us about protecting the environment within days of getting in the way of the most significant step to protect native forests—
David Shoebridge NSW, Australian Greens
We know you're embarrassed, buddy, but answer the question.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
You want to talk about being embarrassed, Senator Shoebridge? You want to talk about being embarrassed about failing to protect native forests?
Sue Lines President
Minister Watt, direct your answers to the chair, please.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
We intend to build on our record regarding the circular economy and the packaging issues at this week's Environment Ministers' Meeting by taking a package of reforms to that meeting, seeking greater harmonisation of the rules and regulations that apply to packaging across states and territories. I would expect that we would have support for that from the Greens political party, but perhaps they're too busy holding hands to work out what their position is on packaging at the moment as well. I'd certainly expect to see support for that from the Liberal Party, given they claim to support regulatory reform. (Time expired)
Steph Hodgins-May Victoria, Australian Greens
2:22 pm
A complete insult to the intelligence of the industry and environmentalists and people who have been pushing for this—you've cited the cost of living as the reason for Labor's backflip—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Senators:
Honourable senators interjecting—
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
On a point of order, what I was going to say was Senator Hodgins-May is entitled to make that contribution, but not as a—
Steph Hodgins-May Victoria, Australian Greens
This is not a point of order.
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Point of order!
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
On a point of order, this is not consistent with the standing orders—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Senators:
Honourable senators interjecting—
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Are you allowed to just interrupt while I'm on my feet, when you complain about—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Senators:
Honourable senators interjecting—
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Fine! The hypocrisy!
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Honourable Senator:
An honourable senator interjecting—
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Oh, the smartest man in the Senate is speaking again! So good to hear from you—
Sue Lines President
Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Senator Hodgins-May, I'm going to ask you to get to your question, please.
Steph Hodgins-May Victoria, Australian Greens
You've cited the cost of living as the reason for Labor's backflip, but Australians are already paying for this broken system through higher council rates and waste charges. Minister, this reform would put the costs of plastic waste back onto producers instead of households. It sounds fair to me. Does that sound fair to you, Minister?
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
2:23 pm
Thanks, Senator Hodgins-May. Again, it is only the Labor government that has ever taken action on these issues, including by significantly investing in dozens of new recycling facilities. It wasn't a Greens political party government that was doing that. It was a Greens political party that was holding up a few signs, while we were actually getting on with the job of making these investments and building the recycling industry in Australia. Now, if you want to split into two groups and some of you hold hands and some of you refuse to hold hands around protecting native forests or taking action on plastic—
Steph Hodgins-May Victoria, Australian Greens
I raise a point of order, President. Can you get him to speak through the chair but also be relevant? This is not relevant to my question about fairness.
Sue Lines President
Minister Watt, I will ask you to address the chair, and I remind you of the question.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
I know it's a matter of profound embarrassment for the Greens political party that last week they couldn't decide if they wanted to save native forests or not. I know that they want to move on from that—and here's one of them.
David Shoebridge NSW, Australian Greens
It is a point of order, on relevance but also on the fact that the minister just flouted your direct ruling. He just ignored you.
David Shoebridge NSW, Australian Greens
You're the President and I'd hold him to account if I was you.
Sue Lines President
Thank you, Senator Shoebridge. I would also state there are many senators in here who flout my rulings when I make them. Minister Watt, I will remind you to address your comments to the chair. I have previously, Senator Shoebridge, directed the minister, as you would have heard, back to the question.
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
As I was saying, through our investments in waste and recycling, Australia's recycling capacity is increasing by more than 1.3 million tonnes per year. So we'll leave it to the Greens political party to disagree amongst themselves about whether they want to protect the environment or protect native forests or do something about packaging. We're getting on with the job. (Time expired)
Steph Hodgins-May Victoria, Australian Greens
2:25 pm
Minister, did the Prime Minister make a captain's call to throw out federal packaging reform because one of Labor's largest corporate donors opposes it?
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
2:26 pm
I'm not sure whether that question was written by Duncan Turpie, because we know that the Greens like to talk about donations but they don't like to talk about donations that they receive. We know the Greens don't like gambling, but they do like taking gambling donations. We know the Greens like talking about native forests, but then they're split about whether they want to protect those native forests. Labor, on the other hand, is actually taking the action that the Greens are calling for, by investing in recycling facilities and increasing our amount of recycling capacity by 1.3 million tonnes per year. We are getting on with the job. We're not sitting on the sidelines throwing stones and we're certainly not holding hands while we disagree amongst ourselves.