Page 4236 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 29 November 1994
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The Standing Committee on Conservation, Heritage and Environment has considered the matter of container deposits and container deposit legislation and, in the process, as on a number of previous occasions, the committee has determined that it is most appropriate to present a discussion paper. Indeed, it was at a similar stage in the life of the First Assembly that the Conservation, Heritage and Environment Committee presented a discussion paper on cogeneration of electricity, a discussion paper on energy. That was then taken up in this Assembly by the committee, and I and the other members of the committee hope that that process will again be followed in the next Assembly by the Standing Committee on Conservation, Heritage and Environment.
I would like to begin the discussion this evening by thanking the other members of the committee for their cooperation and their willingness to work on this issue. When we began this inquiry Mr Westende was part of the committee. He was replaced by Mr Stefaniak, who made it his business to learn and understand very rapidly what the issues were and to make himself familiar with the material. Ms Ellis, as always, was very careful in ensuring that she understood the issues at hand and participated most closely in the debate. I also take this opportunity to make particular mention of Ms Judy Starcevich, the secretary of this committee, and the excellent work she did in assisting us to prepare this discussion paper, as well as keeping the committee organised on a number of its visits and discussions with other people.
There are differences of opinion identified in this discussion paper, but it gives the general direction of the committee's thinking. That general direction covers a couple of major issues that I would like to raise tonight. The first is that the litter issue is part of the discussion, and recycling is part of the discussion, but it is important that we deal with recycling in terms of the kerbside recycling systems that are due to start any minute in the ACT. In fact, I believe that just before lunchtime tomorrow Mr Lamont has trucks coming here, outside the Assembly.
The issue of litter was of great interest to us when we talked to people in South Australia, because there were weaknesses in their legislation whereby certain pieces of drink containers in particular were not part of the container deposit scheme. In our own observations, driving around the city and out into the rural areas, towards Salisbury, we saw around us a particular item that is very popular in South Australia, coffee-flavoured milk, on which no deposit applies and which was clearly the single most significant item of litter.
Mr Berry: They do not have smoothberry Moove over there?
MR MOORE: I hear an interjection from Mr Berry. I did not hear exactly what it was; but, if he was thinking about Raiders Milk, no, they do not have Raiders Milk in South Australia just yet. It will not be too long before they do, I imagine.
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