Page 5817 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 7 December 2010
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here in the ACT. Has the world ended? Has capitalism come to a grinding halt? No, it has not, Madam Deputy Speaker, because these organisations themselves recognise that consumers are looking for change, that consumers believe the provision of lightweight plastic shopping bags is wasteful and that there are better alternatives. This ban, of course, is designed to provide for those better alternatives.
Of course, it is important to highlight that a range of plastic bags will continue to be made available. The first is barrier bags, the type dispensed from a roll to hold items such as loose fruit, vegetables or meat. Obviously, those types of bags are important for the food contamination and storage issues that consumers are rightly concerned about.
Also, there is the issue of heavier-style retail bags—boutique bags usually used by clothing or department stores. These are not affected by the ban. Neither are bans designed for multiple use such as the ubiquitous green bags that you often see in many major supermarket retail chains, bin liners for purchase and biodegradable bags that meet the Australian standard for biodegradability.
Of course, there are paper bags. Remember paper bags? I can remember paper bags when I was growing up. My mum and dad would bring home the shopping in a paper bag. The world did not end. The world did not end when there were other more sustainable alternatives. That is really the point. These are sustainable alternatives. They are alternatives that are just as convenient, just as effective, just as suitable for purpose but they do not have the impact that lightweight plastic shopping bags have on our community.
During the transition period the government will work closely with retailers to raise awareness of the ban and help retailers and consumers adjust. During the four-month transition period any retailer who still provides single-use plastic bags must also provide alternatives so that consumers are able to continue to carry goods that they purchase from that store.
Retailers will be required to prominently display signs providing customers with information on the changes and the timing of the changes. The government will fund a communication strategy to assist business, retail workers and consumers to prepare for the transition period and the eventual ban. The campaign will include advertising, direct mail-outs, training material and signage.
In anticipation of this process, the government is proposing to establish a plastic bag advisory group, which will be formed early next year and which will work with retailers, peak retail bodies and local associations on the implementation of the ban.
I would like to turn to a couple of other issues that have been raised during the debate. The first of these is the issue of compliance. The Office of Regulatory Services will manage the monitoring and compliance of the ban. The ORS will be given powers to inspect and undertake compliance action, including enforcement of penalties. As with any of these programs, the ORS philosophy is to engage, educate and enforce.
It is in the government regulator’s and the individual’s interest to achieve voluntary compliance with the rules and regulations that govern people’s day-to-day lives. It is
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