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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 13 Hansard (19 November) . . Page.. 3765 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

recycling-like the ISO 2002 sticker that says, "This is a firm that's committed to recycling. You back us, we'll back your environment and make it better for all of us." These sorts of measures don't necessarily cost a lot.

Perhaps something could be implemented such as what we achieved when we were in office through NEPC. We got a paper packaging covenant in place whereby the manufacturers of paper packaging took greater responsibility for ensuring that products that they were putting into the marketplace did not end up in landfill. Under that covenant some of the biggest manufacturers of packaging containers agreed that they have a responsibility to do something to make things better.

Perhaps we need to look at how we deal with other products, particularly those that cause us the most grief. Typically, one of the hardest products to recycle is babies' disposable nappies. We have to challenge the community to come up with ideas to help us to do that, and then encourage the producers to make sure they are doing that as well.

Perhaps we need a jobs-through-recycling program. Maybe we can work out a variation of the old work for the dole program and get those jobs into the recycling area. We have to encourage companies which have innovative ideas. Before the election the last government put out a tender for the next phase-do we go bio-mass; do we go combined stream recycling; do we slip to three bins? There are some decisions inherent in that that I suspect haven't been taken yet, and I think it is up to the government to take them. Certainly the Democrats, the Greens and the Liberal Party will be watching what is happening and we look forward to some leadership on this issue from the government.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: The discussion has concluded.

Cooperatives Bill 2002

Debate resumed.

Detail stage

Clauses 1 to 141, by leave, taken together and agreed to.

Clause 142.

MR STANHOPE (Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for Health, Minister for Community Affairs and Minister for Women) (5.15): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 3777].

Mr Speaker, amendment 1 is to clause 142 (2). The amendment simply ensures that the exemptions process under section 142 is open and transparent, and a new requirement provides that any dispensing action be by way of notifiable instrument.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 142, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 143 to 217, by leave, taken together and agreed to.

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