I rise to make a contribution to this debate. This bill was introduced on 3 August this year by the member for Sandgate. On that date the member told this parliament—
The Queensland government has a 10-year plan to halve the amount of waste going to landfill by 2020. To achieve this target, last year the government agreed to significant waste reforms that included preparing a new waste strategy and new legislation that will modernise waste management in Queensland.
The member continued—
Today I am introducing the second part of the reforms: the Waste Reduction and Recycling Bill 2011. A good strategy is needed to help us firstly reduce our waste and then improve recovery of waste that we too readily dump in landfill. We need to break the shackles that are holding Queensland back. Under Queensland’s new waste strategy, we also want to grow green jobs and value re-using and recycling materials. We want re-using and recycling to be the first option over landfill.
But here comes the whack. The minister said— This is an industry waste levy which will commence on 1 December this year. It is an avoidable charge if companies avoid landfill.
In other words, companies will not pay for doing things they need to do if they do not do the things they need to do.
Within the bill the achievement of this act must, if practicable, be guided in part by a polluter pays principle. The polluter pays principle is the principle that all costs associated with the management of waste should be borne by the person who generates the waste. The cost associated with the management of waste may include the cost of minimising the amount of waste generated and containing, treating and disposing of waste and rectifying environmental harm caused by the waste.
This is not a levy. It is a great big new tax just like Labor’s great big new carbon tax. It is a business-destroying waste tax, not a levy. It is another Bligh government tax. Is there no end to these Labor taxes? Queenslanders cannot take any more from this tired, old, tax-and-spend Labor state government.
This tax is aimed fairly and squarely at businesses large and small, and there is a double kicker here. This waste tax, coupled with the federal government’s carbon tax, makes future operation of landscape for the waste industry in Queensland very challenging.
A few weeks ago I asked the CEO and the chief financial officer of one of the largest councils a question. My question was: what impact will the $23 per tonne carbon tax on methane emissions on their landfill tips have on household rates? The answer was that they have no idea because they have not been told if they are included in the top 500 polluters. So it is crystal clear that this tired, old, tax-and spend Labor state government has no idea about the true implications of this waste tax on
Queenslanders, particularly when it is coupled with Labor’s great big new carbon tax.
Another policy principle for achieving this act is the user pays principle. It is the principle that all costs associated with the use of resources should be included in the price of the goods and services, including government services that result from the use. ‘Including government services’ means that those who use government services, that is the voting public, will be paying more as a result of this great big new tax.
The waste levy is a charge on landfill operators for each tonne of commercial, industrial, construction or demolition waste that is added to landfill. The government claims that this big new tax is viable. They call it an incentive, but it is clearly a stick—definitely not a carrot.
We must remember that it was the member for Ashgrove who started this process of introducing the waste tax in Queensland. On the question of waste, I hope that this new minister’s figures, statistics and data are more reliable than those relied upon by the member for Ashgrove.
On 24 March this year I asked the member for Ashgrove a question on notice on this very issue of waste and the Department of Environment and Resource Management website. At the time, her department’s website stated that each year in Australia about 100 million litres of waste oil goes unaccounted for. So as we are here now debating this bill which deals with waste management, better waste recovery, recycling and better resource management, I think it appropriate to recall the minister’s answer to my question. The figure of 100 million litres of oil did concern me.
So I asked the member for Ashgrove to detail how many of those 100 million litres of oil that were unaccounted for were in Queensland. The member for Ashgrove supplied an answer of sorts to the question.
A most intriguing part of the answer provided by the member for Ashgrove was this—
The figures referred to are 10 years old and were compiled by the Commonwealth. As such I cannot provide a further breakdown of any current details.
I found then and I still find today that this answer is astounding. This government, courtesy of the member for Ashgrove, uses 10-year-old data to promote government waste policies on the government’s departmental website. Even more astounding is the fact that the member for Ashgrove could not provide a breakdown of the current details. What were the member for Ashgrove and her department doing at that time?
For the record, the page has since been removed from the DERM website.
During her first reading speech on the bill, the member for Sandgate outlined the extent of public consultation with stakeholders undertaken on these reforms. The minister talked about releasing a draft waste management strategy, which was accompanied by the waste disposal levy consultation paper outlining the proposed approach of the waste tax.
The member for Sandgate stated that the extensive, targeted stakeholder consultation had been undertaken with local governments, the waste and recycling sector, business and industry, environment and community groups. Queensland government departments were also consulted on the the bill; the National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations; the Australian Landfill Owners Association was also apparently involved as well as the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association. A host of councils and the Council of Mayors South East Queensland were consulted. Even Keep Australia Beautiful and the Queensland Conservation Council were consulted.
However, I have a question for the minister. Were ratepayer associations consulted on any of these policies? After all, it will be the ratepayers who will ultimately pay for this great big new tax forced upon them by a tired, old, spend-and-tax Labor state government.
Some of the things that I have heard members opposite talk about tonight concern me. They continue to try to blame Campbell Newman for this Labor government introducing another tax on the people of Queensland.
This Labor government does nothing but take money out of the pockets of the people of Queensland and waste it. It has a debt today of somewhere around $52 billion, which will soon be $85 billion. This is to try to help pay back a miserable government’s debt. It has not understood how to run the finances of this state.
The problem is it is an epidemic in this country. The federal Labor government is singing to the same tune. It is supporting this state Labor government and visa versa. They both believe in carbon taxes, they both believe in waste taxes and they both continue to take money out of the pockets of the people. When people are doing it tough, with cost-of-living issues forcing them to not turn the lights on at night and to not use heaters in winter, they introduce a tax that will take the last cents out of the pockets of the people of Queensland. I commend the shadow minister for his contribution to the debate this morning. I think he has done an outstanding job. We will be opposing this bill to the last. I hope that Labor gets smart eventually and stops ripping off the people of Queensland.