Page 4352 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 30 November 1994
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Recycled Paper
MR STEVENSON: Madam Speaker, my question, which is to Mr Wood, concerns recycled paper. Some time ago the Federal Government introduced a sales tax exemption on recycled paper. They have now removed that exemption. I ask the Minister whether he is aware of that. We have done many things in this Assembly to encourage recycling. Has the Minister taken any action to encourage the Federal Government to exempt recycled paper products?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, I am going back in memory a little here. That concession was removed, or notice of its removal was given, at least a year ago, I think. Maybe by now it has just fed into the system. I recall that at the time there was some debate about it amongst Ministers. Some differences were expressed. Certainly, there was a view, which I expressed, that it was desirable to encourage paper recycling. At the time, the Commonwealth had a quite reasonable argument in support of their move. They had the financial data that indicated that it did not have the desired effect to the extent necessary to justify that concession.
Certainly, we remain committed to paper recycling. I saw some trucks outside this building today, and I think Mr Lamont was making some statements to that effect today. Certainly, the ACT is very keen to encourage paper recycling. There has been a newspaper recycling mill - if that is the word - established not too far from here in recent times. That is a benefit to us. Newspaper is a particular problem. There is a great demand for the sort of paper that we dispense with here - the high-quality paper. Newsprint is much harder to get back into the stream of paper. Every step is one that we support. Certainly, I can say to Mr Stevenson that we do everything we can to encourage paper recycling within the ACT and in support at national forums.
MR STEVENSON: Madam Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Would the Minister take on this issue and raise it specifically at the next appropriate occasion? There is no doubt that exemptions from taxes encourage people to do things, and they certainly would in this case. The Minister mentioned that the Federal Government raised a particular reason at the time, namely, that it did not have the desired effect. Either there were many people involved in recycling or there were not. If there were not, there would not have been many taxes lost. If there were, would that not achieve the desired result?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, I am happy to keep this issue on the agenda, and I will raise it with colleagues at the next meeting of ANZECC in, I think, April next year.
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