Mr WOOD - 2003-05-27
My question is a non-budget question and may be of interest to you, Madam Speaker. Minister, could you please explain, firstly, why your government abandoned container deposit legislation earlier this year after a briefing was given to me by departmental officers which indicated such legislation was possible? Secondly, could you please report on the recent meeting you attended where, I believe, a national container deposit legislation proposal was on the agenda, detailing your government’s views at that meeting in respect of CDL in the Northern Territory and/or a national CDL scheme?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question. Indeed, I did attend a meeting of state, territory and Commonwealth environment and heritage ministers in Melbourne last Friday. Certainly, CDL was on the agenda, along with the important issue of plastic bags, which had quite a focus as well.
There was a presentation given by the South Australian government on CDL, and I was very interested in that presentation and questions afterwards. The South Australian Minister for the Environment, John Hill, in response to a question, actually admitted to the assembled ministers that the South Australian model of CDL was, indeed, very vulnerable to challenge on taxation issues. In fact, he pointed to a previous case which had exposed that vulnerability. That indicated to me the importance of a national approach. That was the consensus of opinion of all the state and territory ministers around the table that, because taxation issues are implicit in CDL, without a national approach to CDL it just would not work. That only reinforces to me the importance and the necessity of a national approach to implement container deposit legislation.
Madam Speaker, I know that you, as the member for Braitling, have advocated a particular model of CDL which mirrors the South Australian model. You, as the member for Braitling, have put forward the argument that those taxation implications are non-existent in that particular model. Well, it became very evident to me that even the South Australian Minister for the Environment has laid on the table the taxation implications that are implicit in CDL.
In the next day or so, I expect to be making some announcements about a litter abatement strategy for the Northern Territory that I believe will be very effective. It address issues on a regional basis, and the also litter stream, because it became apparent, with the focus on the whole issue about plastic bags and the fact that beverage containers consist somewhere between 10% and 20% of the litter stream, that there is a wide issue in terms of litter and litter abatement. This government is committed to addressing those issues.
Madam SPEAKER: I know I do not have to remind the minister that he said he would allow me to give him a briefing this week.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question. Indeed, I did attend a meeting of state, territory and Commonwealth environment and heritage ministers in Melbourne last Friday. Certainly, CDL was on the agenda, along with the important issue of plastic bags, which had quite a focus as well.
There was a presentation given by the South Australian government on CDL, and I was very interested in that presentation and questions afterwards. The South Australian Minister for the Environment, John Hill, in response to a question, actually admitted to the assembled ministers that the South Australian model of CDL was, indeed, very vulnerable to challenge on taxation issues. In fact, he pointed to a previous case which had exposed that vulnerability. That indicated to me the importance of a national approach. That was the consensus of opinion of all the state and territory ministers around the table that, because taxation issues are implicit in CDL, without a national approach to CDL it just would not work. That only reinforces to me the importance and the necessity of a national approach to implement container deposit legislation.
Madam Speaker, I know that you, as the member for Braitling, have advocated a particular model of CDL which mirrors the South Australian model. You, as the member for Braitling, have put forward the argument that those taxation implications are non-existent in that particular model. Well, it became very evident to me that even the South Australian Minister for the Environment has laid on the table the taxation implications that are implicit in CDL.
In the next day or so, I expect to be making some announcements about a litter abatement strategy for the Northern Territory that I believe will be very effective. It address issues on a regional basis, and the also litter stream, because it became apparent, with the focus on the whole issue about plastic bags and the fact that beverage containers consist somewhere between 10% and 20% of the litter stream, that there is a wide issue in terms of litter and litter abatement. This government is committed to addressing those issues.
Madam SPEAKER: I know I do not have to remind the minister that he said he would allow me to give him a briefing this week.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016