Page 4569 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 31 October 2018
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transition to take place, and that we think about where the supply chain is going to come from and how to find different products, these sorts of things.
We are very pleased to see that plastic pollution is rapidly becoming a point of mainstream public discussion. I think our community does understand this, and political parties and the general community have become more aware and more willing to take action.
I agree that the ACT government should be running plastic-free events. We can do this for sure. I am looking forward to hearing about Events ACT’s efforts in this space. There are already non-government events in Canberra that have been going plastic free. I particularly reflect on the living green fair that is held annually in Albert Hall as one good example. The folk festival is another event that has made some significant efforts in this space—not to be plastic free; I do not think that has been quite their objective—for the elimination of a lot of single-use plastics and a very strong recycling program.
I think we are all aware of the fact that despite the convenience they bring to our lives, plastics are notoriously bad for the environment. They are resource intensive to create in that they rely on fossil fuels. They have an ongoing, almost infinite, damaging effect in our environment, as they do not break down in any kind of reasonable time scale. Single-use disposable plastics are the worst kind as they are not recycled and are the most likely to escape into the environment. They are an eyesore in the regular environment and are a particular danger in the marine environment, where they kill and injure wildlife, can release chemical contaminants, and are potentially damaging to human health. Members may have seen recent news reports that microplastics have been discovered for the first time in humans, probably ingested through eating seafood. Scientists are concerned about the health impacts that this could have.
On this note, let me turn to the amendment that I have circulated. The amendment notes that we should all be engaging our own political parties when it comes to reducing plastic waste and other disposable items that damage marine and other environments. It is great that we are making more and more efforts to get rid of plastics in the government and in the broader community. But political campaigning is an area which can be very problematic for single-use items. I am sure we have all seen the stalls of political parties covered in helium balloons or plastic corflutes. It is not unusual to see ACT political parties handing out helium balloons at their stalls.
Balloons are sometimes plastic, but sometimes made of latex. Unfortunately, although it degrades faster than plastic, latex from balloons is also problematic in that it enters marine environments, where it harms wildlife. This was discussed in 2016 in an Australian parliamentary committee inquiry on the threat of marine plastic pollution in Australia. Expert witnesses to the committee explained that typically balloons are made from two kinds of plastic polymers: latex-type polymers or foil-type polymers. Latex-type polymers typically degrade much more quickly than other kinds of plastic; however, immersion in water has been found to slow this process. Foil-type polymers are essentially the same material as traditional, lightweight plastic bags, and degrade at similar rates.
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