Thursday, 2 November 2023

Bills

Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023

Second reading

Debate resumed.

Bronwyn HALFPENNY (Thomastown) (14:45): I am very happy to be speaking today on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. This is, as it says, a bill that provides for amendments to two pieces of legislation: the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021 and the Environment Protection Act 2017. This is legislation that provides for amendments, and I am going to go through in a bit of detail what those amendments are. For all the speakers from the opposition that I have heard, they really do not seem to have understood what the amendments are and in fact probably have not even read this legislation or learned what it actually means.

A lot of the proposals in here build on an incredible reform, the circular economy reform, which has been a project of the Allan and Andrews Labor governments and has set up Victoria in terms of our approach to the environment, whether it is around solar panels and renewable energy or whether it is around recycling and repurposing and all those things that we need for a better future world for people and society as well as for the economy and for jobs. This legislation demonstrates that the Victorian government is a government that is flexible, responsive and modern in terms of ensuring that legislation is the best it can possibly be.

For example, currently the circular economy act does not provide for Recycling Victoria to charge fees to cover the costs of all its statutory and contractual responsibilities. The amendments contained in this bill will do just that. The concept is that the original maker or producer of the container in the container deposit scheme, for example, is the one that should bear the cost of that scheme and the recovery of the product that is re-used and taken out of the environment as litter.

Another example of some of the things this legislation does is that it provides several amendments to mitigate operational risks that have been identified during the implementation of the container deposit scheme. They need to be addressed to ensure that the scheme operates as intended. Again, the opposition makes a big deal about these amendments, but they are there to improve the scheme based on experience and based on things that have come to light as the scheme has been rolled out. First, the bill clarifies the scheme coordinator or network operator agreement. It allows that any matters that are negotiated in that agreement will continue also in the act, not just as part of the agreement. This provides flexibility so that additional matters as they arise can be added to those agreements, and the act ensures that they are also part of the legislation and do not go outside the legislation.

Secondly, the bill allows concurrent contracts between the state and more than one scheme coordinator. For example, the current legislation talks about there being one contract for the scheme operator, but what if there is a successor and another company is going to take over? There needs to be the ability to negotiate a second contract in order for that successor to seamlessly replace the original coordinator if, for whatever reason, that arrangement is not going to continue. Similarly, the bill amends the definition of a material recovery facility, because it has come to light that there are certain recyclers that may be in a good position to recycle various different containers. That may not be their only business or may not be the main part of their business, and the definitions in the legislation may mean in that case they are excluded from being part of the scheme. That would be a missed opportunity for the further recycling of more containers within that facility.

Again, there are also minor amendments and clarifications to ensure – and this is very important – that the state can intervene, if required, to make sure that scheme coordinators are fulfilling their obligations. If there is something that is not being fulfilled by a scheme coordinator, which is a private business, then the state can actually step in and ensure that those obligations are met and that the proper processes are followed. Of course we have seen and had some terrible experiences where there have been some really terrible, dodgy companies. There was one particular facility in Epping where they were supposed to be collecting chemical waste and disposing of it in a proper way. That was not the case, and there were all sorts of legal loopholes in order for the state to come in and both ensure that the community was safe and ensure that these dodgy operators were dealt with in accordance with the full force of the law.

There are also of course provisions to allow for recurring charges to be charged on waste-to-energy licence-holders. Recycling Victoria is the state part of this scheme that oversees and administers the scheme – although it is actual private operators that operate the scheme – so this amendment is to ensure that taxpayers are not inadvertently paying for any of these administration or oversight costs, because it may well be that there is not just a one-off fee but a requirement for ongoing or periodic fees to make sure that we as taxpayers are not bearing any of the costs. There are also amendments to the Environment Protection Act 2017 – things that really will make a much better and more efficient system. For example, at the moment Game Management Authority officers, while they can raise issues with individuals about littering, actually cannot take any action against a person that is found to be littering. These are small amendments that make a big difference in terms of the efficiency of how things operate to allow them to be able to enforce the provisions of littering offences.

I would like to go on to the reason for these amendments. The main purpose is to ensure that our really innovative and exciting container deposit scheme program, which started, as everyone has said, yesterday, continues to be able to roll out in a very efficient and seamless way. I know the opposition have been making lots of complaints. There are the amendments that they are proposing, but this shows a real lack of understanding – or laziness – in terms of trying to inform themselves about what this legislation is all about and what in fact the container deposit scheme is all about. For example, I think one speaker from a regional area was complaining that there were not enough facilities for people to take their unwanted and eligible containers to to have them processed and to receive some sort of payment for them. But in fact within this scheme by 1 August next year the commitment is that any remote or rural town that has 350 people or more in it must have a facility for people to take their containers to. Similarly in regional towns, any place where there is a population of more than 750 also must have a facility to which people can take their containers for recycling.

Of course this scheme is really important for some clubs and sporting organisations, places that rely on charity and donations. This will be another way that they can accept revenue and a way that really makes it easy for people to donate money that they may have received in the collection of containers. For example – I think there was news last night about this – you can take some of these containers in to a vending machine and actually deposit them in the vending machine. There is a little barcode or QR code that tallies up those containers, and then you are able to get a voucher and then through the QR code nominate what charity or organisation you would like to donate the money that you have received from those containers to. That makes it a little bit easier for charities and organisations that need fundraising to keep going. This will make it that bit easier for them to do that and for all of us to contribute to those organisations that do such a great job.

Wayne FARNHAM (Narracan) (14:55): I am pleased to rise today to speak on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. We do not oppose this bill on this side of the house, but the member for Brighton has raised concerns and put forward a reasoned amendment.

It does remind me of when I was a little tacker some 40-something years ago – 60 kilos lighter and with long flowing hair – it has been a long time, but recycling was always good. We could go and we could collect cans and collect bottles, and we would be walking down the road with no shoes on in the middle of summer, sunburnt. It was a great time. We would go and we would collect our cans and bottles, and that would be our pocket money. The beautiful thing about recycling is you can get kids out there doing that, and parents do not have to put their hands in their pockets every week to give them pocket money to go and buy things. So I think the container deposit scheme is a good scheme. The Liberal and National parties do not oppose this scheme. We think it is a good idea. But I want to reference what the member for Mildura said earlier. It sort of resonated with me. I am not going to sit here and slag the government off. I am just going to make some comments. I think the member for Mildura had a good point. It would be great to see these schemes in sporting clubs. If you think about it –

Jade Benham interjected.

Wayne FARNHAM: sorry, these deposit centres – if we have got these in sporting clubs and people can take their cans and bottles there, then all of a sudden it could take the pressure off local councils for maintenance of sporting clubs because they have got a bit more income and it could take the pressure off state government as well for the funding of club infrastructure or upkeep of sporting facilities. I actually think it is a very, very good idea, and credit to the member for Mildura for thinking of that. In those regional areas – as I just heard in the member’s statement there – where there are populations of 350 people, hopefully we can get them into sporting clubs, especially in those one-club towns. I think that would be a great initiative.

My only criticism, I suppose, of the government – and I am not going to go into all the criticisms that have been made previously – is that the government has been here for 20 out of the last 24 years, so in my mind I am wondering why it took so long, especially back in 2018 after China had had enough and said ‘We don’t want to be the dumping ground anymore’. I do not blame them for that, and it is something I have thought about quite a few times prior to even thinking about being in this place, that as a state we had failed at recycling. It is not just Victoria. I will actually say this about Australia: I do not think we have done it very well over the years. I have had this conversation with my nieces and nephews, who are all very environmentally conscious, like most Victorians. I believe most Victorians are environmentally conscious. I always got to thinking ‘Why are we sending all of this overseas and making it someone else’s problem?’

I feel as though there has been a severe lack of investment in recycling in this state and in this country. Recycling is not a new concept. It has been around for quite some time now, probably since we got rid of the incinerators, Speaker. You would have had one of those in your backyard, I am sure. We had an incinerator in my backyard, and we used to burn everything. But recycling has been around a long time, and my biggest criticism of the government is: why did we not do this sooner? In other states it has been around for quite some time. In Adelaide I think it was 1976, from memory. It was in Victoria. We used to take in our cash for cans or bottles or whatever we could get our hands on, but somewhere along the line it stopped. I do not know which government stopped it. Whether it was Liberal or Labor I am not sure, but since the time when the incinerators finished we should have been on the front foot. My criticism is that in 2018 China stopped taking our rubbish and stopped being our dumping ground, and the government should have been on the front foot a lot sooner.

My other concern with this is that we are talking about the bill now, but the scheme is already in place. I am not a legal expert – I am not going to pretend to be a legal expert – but to me that seems as though we have put the cart before the horse. I would have thought that the bill would go through, go through the other place, and then the scheme would start. Maybe if we had delayed the announcement for a month to get this all done and we had all the boxes in a row so there was no confusion or no ambiguity or no grey area – because we do know people can be quite litigious when they find a grey area – we would have got it all passed through. The scheme could have started on 1 December in time for Christmas and there would have been no confusion about the law and where people stand.

I do want to reference the member for Morwell, because we all do like a vessel of happiness – that is a nice way of saying it. I feel as though my vessel of happiness is why I am such a happy, happy guy. I reckon I have got 20 kilos of vessels of happiness, to be honest.

A member: You are a vessel of happiness.

Wayne FARNHAM: I am a vessel of happiness; I like being happy. But I just do not understand – and I am more than happy for someone to interject and maybe clarify this for me – why we cannot crush a can.

Nick Staikos: Oh, get over it. Come on, mate.

Wayne FARNHAM: Member for Bentleigh, just hear me out. I will be very patient – just hear me out. Honestly, it seems we have got to keep this can in this perfect cylinder, and it has got to go through a system. Why can’t we have –

A member interjected.

Wayne FARNHAM: Hey, I am not working against you. Just calm down. Why can’t we have a system where it goes by weight? Crush the cans, get more volume in there and go by weight. A can will weigh the same. Because sometimes, member for Bentleigh, I do not know about you, but I get a bit clumsy late in the night and I might accidentally stand on a can.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Meng Heang Tak): Through the Chair.

Wayne FARNHAM: I am very sorry, Acting Speaker. I can get clumsy late at night and accidentally stand on a can, and I might lose 10 cents. I do not want to lose 10 cents. I am sure the Acting Speaker does not want to lose 10 cents either. I could say that to whoever is in charge of this scheme: why don’t we look at cans being weighed so we can crush them up?

A member interjected.

Wayne FARNHAM: They are not heavier when they are crushed, they weigh the same – you need to go back to school. But I think you should investigate that, because it does take a lot of movements up and down the road when you have got more volume. That is no good for the environment, because the cars are running up and down and we are spilling out diesel everywhere with trucks. They are my comments on this bill. I think we have put the cart before the horse. I think you have created a grey area for a couple of weeks. You could have delayed it for a month; I do not think it would have hurt anyone. Then you would have had all your ducks in a row and the scheme would just have gone ahead smoothly.

Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh) (15:04): It really is a pleasure to rise to make a contribution on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. I am really enthusiastic about this government’s circular economy agenda, and it is not just because it is a good agenda but the plan was actually launched in my electorate. A lot of you might not know this, but the Coca-Cola factory is in Moorabbin, in my electorate. The former Premier Dan Andrews and the then Minister for the Environment visited Moorabbin and visited the Coca-Cola factory – with you Acting Speaker as well; it is sort of on the border between our electorates – and launched this plan. Not only am I enthusiastic about the circular economy and what this government is doing in that space, but the community is as well.

Just a couple of years ago, for example, when we were resurfacing East Boundary Road, which is a major arterial road in my electorate, we did something very, very innovative – we resurfaced East Boundary Road using 1600 old tyres. At the time we did the numbers, and we found out that annually in Australia we produce 54 million tyres and about 18 million tyres end up in landfill. One way that we are diverting old tyres from ending up in landfill is by using them to resurface our roads. It only makes sense, and let me tell you two years later East Boundary Road has not fallen apart. It is three years later actually – gosh, time has gone by. It has not fallen to bits; it has fared pretty well.

When it comes to recycling, over the last few years I think the Victorian community has come to understand that we need to do more. It is not good enough to just on bin night put out your recycling bin and away you go – it is not as simple as that. There is a lot more that we need to do. Over the last few years the community has come to understand more about e-waste and understand more about green waste, and our local councils have also lifted their game in terms of making sure that there are different stations around their municipalities where you can dispose of e-waste, and they have changed the system when it comes to collecting green waste to ensure that residents are disposing of food scraps, for instance, in their green waste bins – and the community got on board. There were teething issues at the start, but the reality is your habits change when they need to change. We adapt; we are agile. It is just what we do in a society like Victoria.

I suppose that is why I have been rather disappointed by the debate from the other side today. I did think that they supported the container deposit scheme, but they are quibbling at the edges. They are just always so negative on that side – very, very negative. The member for Kew is at the table, and I must admit I have only been in and out of the chamber today, but I think the member for Kew said that this has crumbled on implementation. She will correct me if I am wrong. You said something like that. You certainly said crumbled on implementation. But yesterday a million containers were collected by the container deposit scheme – on day one. I do not think that constitutes crumbling upon implementation, does it? No, I think that is a real success, and this government is proud of it.

We can quibble at the edges and say ‘Oh, well, but you can’t crush the cans’. Why do they need to crush their cans and bottles? Are they trying to get their frustration out on these containers? The new member for Warrandyte is nodding yes. I understand it is pretty rugged in that party room, but do not touch your cans and bottles, just save them because you will get 10 cents back. Thankfully everybody else is very enthusiastic about the container deposit scheme. I know those opposite tell us that they have received countless complaints, but it seems that the only people that complain about the container deposit scheme are in Liberal or National Party electorates. That is what we have found out today. But look, enough about them, because I am already halfway through my time.

Jess WILSON: Thank God.

Nick STAIKOS: Member for Kew, your predecessor would have made good work out of the container deposit scheme, let me say. What I would say is that we are aiming, by this container deposit scheme, to reduce the amount of litter in Victoria by half. That is a significant and aspirational and ambitious target, and that is what we are going to do. Our estimate is that 1 billion containers will be returned in the first year of the scheme and $100 million will be refunded to Victorian charities, to Victorians and to community groups, and we are all very, very excited about that.

At this point I do want to give a big shout-out to Ashton Hanson, who is 10 years old. He is from my electorate – he lives in East Bentleigh – and he and his brothers have already collected 4000 bottles and cans, and they are aiming for 10,000. This is pretty exciting for them and it is pretty exciting for all Victorians, so congratulations, Ashton, and congratulations to your brothers.

I suppose we have heard from those opposite that we should have delayed the implementation of this scheme. When you have got 392 drop-off locations, why delay it? It was ready to go, and that is evidenced by the fact that a million containers were collected on day one. There are 392 locations open now and there are 600 that will be open by August next year. In my electorate there are a few convenient locations to drop off your containers and collect your refund. One is the scout hall on Argus Street, Cheltenham, and it is wonderful to see just how our scouts in Victoria have embraced this scheme. Another one is the Kingston Heath Reserve car park in Cheltenham on Centre Dandenong Road. The member for Narracan was saying why not co-locate them with sports clubs. Well, at least in that case we have done exactly that, and that is a reverse vending machine. You can also go to the BP on Warrigal Road in Oakleigh, in the Minister for Environment’s electorate, just on the other side of the border between the Bentleigh and Oakleigh electorates. There is also – and this is close by to the electorate – Highgate Cellars on Glen Huntly Road, Carnegie. Within 12 months of the scheme starting there will be a minimum of one collection point per 14,500 people in metropolitan areas, at least one per town of 750 people in regional areas and at least one per town of 350 people in remote areas. That is just an amazing number of collection points and creates accessibility for everyone in Victoria.

Again, this scheme was absolutely ready to go yesterday, but it is a rollout, and so this will get better as it goes along. It is already a fantastic scheme, and Victorians are embracing it. Rather than quibbling around the edges, let us just embrace it, because this is about moving forward. This is about embracing the future. The circular economy, a plan that this government is implementing, is about securing the future for the next generation as well. We have got to make sure that we are diverting waste. For many, many years we have been talking about diverting waste, but we have not been good at it. Now we are getting serious, and this is just one of a number of initiatives that this government is embracing to ensure that we are nurturing and fostering a circular economy. I have already spoken about the materials that we are using in terms of resurfacing roads, but there are many other initiatives as well. This government of course banned single-use plastics. Again, we saw how Victorians adapted to that change, and that is because Victorians are clever, intelligent people. They adapt to change, and they are embracing these changes, because Victorians know that initiatives like the container deposit scheme are important for our future. I commend the bill to the house, and I wish it a speedy passage.

Gary MAAS (Narre Warren South) (15:14): I too rise to make a contribution to the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. I do so with great pleasure but just cannot escape some of the reasoning, I guess, that has been put forward by the opposition in their contributions to this bill. First we have the overarching notion that they do support the bill in this place. Then, as others before me have said, they go to very, very fine aspects – whether you would call them communication aspects or whether you would call them operational aspects – that are to do with the rollout of the scheme. So whilst they are supportive of that, or supportive of the notion that the bill should pass through this place, a reasoned amendment has also been put forward to can, so to speak, the whole scheme, and I just see that the reasoning does not quite seem consistent there.

In terms of some of the concerns that the member for Brighton had with his reasoned amendment, I think it is fair to say that there is so much information that is available to people and members of the community who do want to utilise the container deposit scheme (CDS). There is information on websites. There has been a very big campaign in the lead-up to 1 November pointing out where the container deposit machines are across various LGAs. So there is good information already available to members of the public and also to businesses, and that of course includes, if you have been to the website, a map of where all of these are. Another point that was put forward to amend the bill is that there has not been a complete rollout of all of the deposit machines. But there have been in fact some 392 that were open to the public on the very first day, and as has been said several times and I note was tweeted by our Premier earlier today, yesterday there were in excess of 1 million containers that were recycled on that first day. That is in anyone’s terms a huge success on the very first day of operation.

The other notion I want to pick up on in regard to why we supposedly need this reasoned amendment is that somehow we lose a freedom to contract as a result of this bill not passing this place, and that is a huge falsehood. There are several agreements that have been reached through various parties to ensure that the container deposit scheme can be reached. The fact that this bill has not passed both houses does not negate the freedom of parties to contract, and throughout this time the government has engaged all the various businesses and the groups who are being consulted to make sure that this scheme is in place. That includes the Australian Hotels Association, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Retailers Association, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as the Boomerang Alliance. The other thing I think should be made clear is that the scheme that is being put in this place is really consistent with other jurisdictions around the country. What we are seeing is a rollout on quite a grand scale in the soon-to-be-biggest state in the country, and this is all rolling out as smoothly as can be. So on that basis we of course oppose the reasoned amendment.

The bill itself clarifies the cost recovery mechanisms for the CDS. It mitigates operational risks associated with it to ensure its smooth operation and alignment with the intended purpose. It introduces a mechanism for the recovery of costs which are incurred by Recycling Victoria in administering the waste-to-energy scheme by enabling the establishment of periodic licence fees through regulations. It creates a dedicated Recycling Victoria Fund, complete with special-purpose operating accounts, to facilitate Recycling Victoria, to recoup costs and to support its operations within the CDS and the waste-to-energy scheme. It also allows for the setting of variable fees through regulations for the processing of applications and submissions under the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021, and it enhances the Environment Protection Act 2017 to better align with the original intent of the act and improve its overall functionality and effectiveness as well.

Specific amendments incorporated into the bill encompass the introduction of a cost-recovery mechanism for the CDS to ensure the scheme can effectively cover the operational costs, and that enables it to regulate the scheme effectively and sustainably as well. It addresses various operational risks in the container deposit scheme, as this is a crucial step to ensuring that it runs smoothly, free from potential disruptions or challenges that might hinder its intended operation and objectives as well. It provides flexibility in agreements, allowing for more adaptive and responsive arrangements between the involved parties, enabling the scheme to better accommodate changing needs and circumstances as it progresses.

The bill expands the definition of a material recovery facility, broadening its scope to include facilities prescribed by the regulations, and this modification permits certain recyclers, such as bottle-crushing service operators, to participate in the CDS, enhancing its inclusivity. Minor amendments and clarifications have been incorporated into the bill too to enhance efficiency and transparency within the CDS, and these changes aim to streamline processes and address any potential ambiguities, ensuring that the scheme functions as smoothly as possible. A key focus is on enhancing protection for the EPA, ensuring that it has the necessary support and legal provisions to fulfil its mandate effectively, and the bill also provides necessary clarifications regarding the responsibilities of liquidators, addressing potential uncertainties and ensuring a clear framework for their role in environmental matters.

To uphold the polluter-pays principle, something that this government has always adhered to, the bill reinforces the obligation for those responsible for environmental harm to bear the costs of remediation and clean-up, promoting greater accountability. Delegation of powers to the EPA is introduced, allowing for more efficient and agile decision-making particularly in that regard. The creation of the Recycling Victoria Fund really is a pivotal move for efficient fund management, enhancing transparency and accountability in financial matters, which are related to environmental protection and recycling initiatives. Finally, the container deposit scheme itself is a pivotal step toward the government’s commitment to transforming the waste and recycling sector and building a more sustainable and prosperous future for Victorians. It is for those reasons that I support the bill and commend it to the house.

Alison MARCHANT (Bellarine) (15:24): I am happy to rise and contribute to the debate on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. It is a pleasure to speak on this bill because environmental legislation and the future of our circular economy is a passion of mine, and I know it is an absolute issue that is really important to the Bellarine community as well. I will start by thanking the Minister for Climate Action and her staff for this important piece of reform and the work that she has done. I do not know when she sleeps – it is an incredible amount of work that she has done in this space. Our state is leading in climate action. It is leading in renewables, emissions reductions, biodiversity – there is a long list to talk about in this space, but I am really proud to be part of a government that is committed to all these and more. There is always more to do and we are willing to get on with that work, but we do not shy away from big agendas such as this. This is a huge rollout that the government has undertaken, and day one was an absolute success, with over a million containers being deposited. I think that is a real sign of how successful this is and how much the community is going to support this initiative.

This bill does amend the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021 and the Environment Protection Act 2017. This bill is going to do several important things. It will generate, firstly, employment opportunities, which means jobs for Victorians. It is going to help climate change goals and provide the community with a reliable recycling system, which is really important for our growing communities. The container deposit scheme that is part of this bill, which, excitingly, started yesterday, is part of a bigger package of this Allan Labor government’s investment in the state’s recycling and waste system. This scheme, as we have seen and as we have discussed today, allows Victorians to return those containers, those drinking cans, bottles and cartons, for that 10-cent refund, and the opportunity is at various locations: shopping centres, collection depots and over-the-counter refunding points. I learned an interesting fact that there are over 30,000 approved types of containers that will be accepted when doing this – 30,000 is a lot. It is just an incredible amount going into a recycling system without all those contaminants, now able to be returned and recycled into products.

I know locally the community in the Bellarine was so excited about this scheme. Any correspondence via email or on social media was met with so much interest and excitement. There were lots of questions about how it was going to work in the lead-up to this. They were keen to know about locations and containers, how the act might work and how the refund might work. Trusted sources tell me that the Ocean Grove container was nearly full by 11 o’clock on the first day, and they had to go and empty that and keep going. There were lines. People were so excited to do this. In my electorate I will give a shout-out to the White family. They have two sons in that family, an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old, who put a call-out to their neighbours to say ‘We’ll come and collect all your cans and bottles and things. We’re saving for an Easter holiday’. I also think they are very keen members of the local junior football club, Ocean Grove Cobras, and some donations might go that way, to the club. But they were so excited that all the kids were collecting all the neighbours’ containers to take over to the container deposit scheme reverse vending machine to go and do that. This is going to encourage more community participation around that recycling. Local clubs and charities will be able to be participants in receiving donations. I know this scheme is going to be a success with that community participation; I think we have already seen it, and it is only day 2. I am confident that they will be fully engaged going forward.

Specifically, this bill will amend the circular economy act to do a few things, and I will just go to those points. The bill does clarify the cost recovery mechanism for this scheme to ensure that the scheme regulator is able to recover all of its oversights and regulatory costs for the beverage industry. It is there to minimise operational risks and support the scheme to ensure it operates efficiently, providing a mechanism to recover the cost in administering the waste-to-energy scheme and enabling the periodic licence fees to be set. It does establish a Recycling Victoria Fund with that special purpose operating account. It supports Recycling Victoria to recover the costs and fund its operations under the container deposit scheme and the waste-to-energy scheme in a transparent and accountable way, and finally, it enables regulations to set fees for determining applications or submissions to receive under that act.

Under this new mechanism the cost recovery fee will be passed through to first suppliers of beverages and containers and approved as suitable eligible containers through the scheme’s contribution first suppliers, and they are required to pay the scheme coordinator. This cost recovery mechanism really does ensure that the beverage industry will bear the costs of this scheme entirely and in line with the principle of that extended producer responsibility. This means that suppliers of beverages, in container deposit schemes, will bear the cost. I would just like to make the point that it is important that the beverage suppliers are playing their part in helping to improve our recycling rates in the state and reduce the number of containers that end up in landfill or on the side of the road as litter. These are important changes that are being made to support the implementation of the Victorian container deposit scheme and to really ensure that it runs as smoothly as possible for the Victorian community.

To ensure that Recycling Victoria can recover the costs and fund its operations promptly and efficiently, this bill establishes the Recycling Victoria Fund. This dedicated account provides a more efficient, transparent and accountable mechanism to demonstrate that the funds collected from the scheme participants are only used to recover the state’s costs in administering and overseeing the scheme. We know and understand that we have to work with local communities, with industries and with businesses in developing any of these targets or schemes that we roll out, and we are absolutely committed to doing that and working collaboratively with them.

I have heard a few statements in the house today, with the other side kind of slamming this scheme in some way. I feel it might be an exercise similar to what happened with the power saving bonus, where they would come into this place, criticise a wonderful scheme for communities and then go out into their communities and do selfies promoting it. I feel like we are seeing a pattern here. This government is doing the hard work, looking after Victorians and doing the things that communities need done. The other side seem to think that it is an opportunity to slam this government, yet they do not understand that their communities are supportive of this. Their communities are actually lining up, recycling their products and getting that refund or donating it to their charities, and they are fully supportive of this program. I am sure we will see a few more selfies on Facebook soon.

Our communities – I know this includes the Bellarine community – absolutely expect us to take action on climate change and expect us to do this work, and many constituents, particularly young people, raise it with me all the time. A really big issue for them is making sure we are doing whatever we can to leave this place better than we found it and to continue the work to act on climate. Like I have explained today, so many young families and children are really excited to get involved in this scheme, and it is great to see. I came to this place advocating for a ban on fracking. It was nation-leading legislation that happened in this place, and I could not be prouder of a government that is willing to do the hard yards and do the things that are right for our Victorian communities. This is just another example of the government – and the minister, like I have indicated, with the incredible amount of work that she has done in this space – being nation leading, and I would probably argue world leading. I am very proud of this government and this scheme, and I commend the bill to the house.

Steve McGHIE (Melton) (15:34): Acting Speaker Tak, it is great to see you in the chair, and it is always great to follow the member for Bellarine and her fantastic contributions but also so many good contributions from this side of the house. I rise to speak on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023, which is clearly just another way that the Allan Labor government is creating jobs in Victoria and achieving our climate change goals. This bill amends the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021 and makes minor amendments to the Environment Protection Act 2017. I thank the Minister for Environment, Minister Dimopoulos, and the previous minister, Minister Stitt in the other place, for the great work that they have done on this important bill.

One million containers in the last 24 hours is pretty impressive, and any suggestion that it is a failed rollout is absolutely crazy. I suppose those opposite have to try and raise any concerns, because it is always their agenda to scare people. I know people in Melton lined up for this program to start. They lined up yesterday, and they were ready to go – and go they did yesterday in the two locations in Melton. When I was growing up in the western suburbs – born and bred in Braybrook, a pretty low socio-economic area – we did have a container deposit scheme back in the 1960s and 70s, and it was run by CUB. If anyone remembers longneck beer bottles – probably not too many people in the chamber at the moment would, because they are all too young – you could collect them, and CUB would send out their bottle-o to pick them up. They would provide the crates, and they would then pay you an amount of money for the collection of those bottles. Of course in doing so they re-used those bottles. They took them back to the factory and cleaned them and re-used them for producing further beer supplies across the state of Victoria. As I said, they would even leave crates at your home to be able to stack the bottles in.

I will respond to some of the more ridiculous things that I have heard in this debate in particular by the opposition. In one breath they are telling us how environmental their constituents are, and then in the next they say that they are not willing to travel to the next suburb to drop off the containers, the bottles and the cans at a collection point. I do not know if they want one of these collection points on every corner. I do not know if that is what they are after. It seems a bit crazy to complain that there are not enough collection points but on the other hand wave the flag and say that they are environmentalists. I have got to agree with my good friend the member for Mordialloc about the grumpiness of the member for Brighton. It seems he has been quite grumpy in recent times, and that is a bit of shame. But I know that the member for Mordialloc invited the member for Brighton to come out to the car park where he has a collection point just to see how the system works. It would be great to witness that if the member for Brighton took that invitation up.

As of yesterday, the container deposit scheme certainly started putting money in people’s pockets, and I think that is fantastic. In fact it will reduce the litter across the state by up to a half. That in itself, regardless of what people get in return, is an important issue, and that is about reducing the litter that would go into landfill. I think that is probably the most important thing that will come out of this.

It is estimated that half a billion eligible drink containers are disposed of annually across the western suburbs. At 10 cents a container, that amounts to about $50 million worth of cans, bottles and cartons, and that is $50 million that will go into the pockets of constituents across the western suburbs. Of course if you translate that across the state, it could mean up to hundreds of millions of dollars that could be paid out to people engaging with this scheme, and that is a win for everyone. I encourage my constituents in the electorate of Melton to engage with this program and access a part of the $50 million. It is a nice little earner for people if they want to try and pick up some cash. Yes, sure, it means you have got to go around and collect cans and bottles and things like that and take them to a collection area, but in some cases it would be worth it.

There was reference to the rollout by the opposition, and I just want to remind them that New South Wales was the second state after South Australia to introduce such a scheme in 2017. I know it was a Liberal government at the time; I am not sure who the New South Wales Premier was, but their initial rollout was of just over 200 collection points. They now have around 618, which is pretty close to the total that we want to have. So again, under a New South Wales Liberal government you can roll them out at 200 initially, which is what we have done – better than that – but it seems to be the sky is going to fall in Victoria because we have not rolled out our 600 on the first day. It seems a bit crazy that that is the issue that they have concentrated on.

I want to make reference to the contribution by the member for South-West Coast. She was lamenting that her major concern was that we might have to work to change the thinking of consumers and how they interact with the scheme to ensure compliance and maximise the refunds. I think that reference was in regard to how people previously would crush the cans and things like that. That is something that we as a governing body need to do all the time. We need to change people’s ways of doing things. We have done that with things like wearing seatbelts. We have done that with smoking in public places. We have done that with same-sex marriage. We have done that with racial segregation, and we have certainly done that with women’s right to vote. Changing people’s attitudes and the way that they act is something that governments do all the time, and that is the agenda here. This is about reducing litter going into landfill and compensating people for it, and it is a very positive program. I know that the youth of our communities will be excited by this. The community groups, the Scouts groups, the sports groups and many, many community agencies will be very excited by this, because this is a new avenue, another avenue, where they can try and get access to some funding to run their sports club, run their Scouts group, provide for community groups and assist them in providing whatever services and things they do for those particular participants.

The member for South-West Coast did bring up an important point, though. Clearly the member for Kew had that talking point as well – and I notice the member for Kew is at the table – that a price increase of 14 cents per can is going to cover the costs of the container deposit participation scheme. Well, it is just not accurate. The member for South-West Coast alluded to the fact that she had 200 or 250 stubbies in her wheelie bin and they were just going to wherever they go. I do not know what happens in her collection in her electorate, but I will give her some advice: if she took the opportunity to take those 200 or 250 stubbies at the end of the week to a collection point, it could be a nice little earner for her each week.

Vicki Ward: Or she could donate it to one of her schools.

Steve McGHIE: Or she could donate it to one of her community groups, schools or whatever. It could be a nice little earner for her, or she could give it to a group that needs it within her electorate rather than just sticking them in the wheelie bin.

This bill is an important bill. As I say, there have been many, many good contributions made on this bill, and that is because it is really important. Yesterday at one of our collection points I had a constituent that attended the collection point and provided all the cans and bottles that he collected, and he got a return of $970. I congratulate that constituent for his efforts in cleaning up Melton and also getting a bit of a return for himself, and I hope he continues to do that. Again, I encourage others in my electorate to do the same, certainly the community groups. This is a really important bill and I am pleased to talk on it. I hope it gets a speedy passage through Parliament.

Paul HAMER (Box Hill) (15:44): I also rise in support of the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023, which is a bill to provide for further matters relating to the container deposit scheme and the waste-to-energy scheme and the recovery of regulatory costs for those schemes. It is a pretty exciting moment when we have heard that already one day into the scheme, 24 hours into the scheme, a million bottles and cans and other recyclable items have been returned, which equates to more than $100,000 that has been returned to individuals and to community groups, which is back in the pockets of families and back in the pockets of our community groups.

I do want to applaud the constituent from Melton. Almost $1000 in a single day – that is 10,000 bottles, cans and other recyclables. That is an enormous effort of collection. As the member for Melton rightly said, that person is cleaning up Melton 100 bottles at a time. He is making a fantastic effort. It is a topic that is a matter of conversation right across the state. Even before we started debating the initial bill three or four years ago, this was a topic that regularly came before my office, about when we would as a government introduce a container deposit scheme. We could see that South Australia had had one for many years and many other states had announced that they were introducing them. It does not surprise me that there were many people who had been saving up for yesterday to arrive to literally cash in their cans and bottles, because people in the community do really value the environment. They value the importance of recycling and the importance of using our resources wisely.

It is important that we look at why we are doing this container deposit scheme in the first place. It is about separating our waste products and it is about better re-use and better recycling of the products that we manufacture. Obviously when you are talking about plastics and even glass, if they finish up in the waste or at the tip, they take years – hundreds of years, probably thousands of years – to degrade. Particularly with plastics, what they degrade to is microplastics, which can get into the soil and into the environment and cause issues. A far better use is to collect them as a separate waste stream and actually re-use them and repurpose them for a higher order. I think it was the member for Mordialloc who was talking about the re-use of particularly plastics in the construction of roads and in the construction of the Mordialloc Freeway. I am sure that there are many other roads right across Melbourne and Victoria where we can utilise some of those plastics for a road base so that we are taking them out of the waste stream.

It is a real milestone that we have reached now in our commitment towards the transformation and reform of our waste and recycling sector. I do want to acknowledge at this point the tremendous work that all of the relevant ministers have put in over time, particularly the current Minister for Climate Action and Minister for the State Electricity Commission, who was the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change at the time the initial legislation passed and was a key driver for this reform of the recycling system, Minister D’Ambrosio, and also the subsequent ministers for the environment – Minister Stitt in the other place and now Minister Dimopoulos. It is a really important reform, and it is good that there is continuity in that reform through the changes of ministers.

As has been said before, the container deposit scheme does come in a number of different forms. There are a lot of different options out there for punters who wish to collect their bottles and cans and take them to a drop-off location, whether that is a vending machine or simply a local drop-off location. As has been noted by previous speakers, even on day one we are almost up to 400 refund point locations across the state, which is a fantastic achievement to get to already. That is almost two-thirds of the total locations that I understand will be in place when the program is fully rolled out.

I want to let all in my community know the three locations at which they can drop off their bottles, cans and recyclables: the Box Hill South milk bar, which is on Middleborough Road; J & J Grocery World down in Box Hill; and the Mont Albert newsagent in Hamilton Street. They are three well-positioned local businesses. Any viewers at home in the Box Hill electorate: I would encourage you to collect your bottles and cans and take yourself along to those locations. There is a very convenient website as well where you can see all of the drop-off locations right across the state. As I said, it is a very exciting reform and a reform that many people across the electorate have been long looking forward to.

I want to just briefly go back to the importance of recycling and the circular economy of waste and resource management. Obviously it is a really critical part of our environmental policy, and I am really pleased to see the leadership that we have from the Albanese Labor government in Canberra at the moment, which is also really pushing this agenda and putting a real focus on bringing everyone to the table to support real change. In June this year environment ministers from across Australia met in Sydney and signed a renewed communiqué to work together to achieve a nature-positive Australia and to leave our environment better off for our kids and our grandkids. At that meeting ministers agreed to act now and for future generations to shift Australia towards a safer, circular economy.

I see even with my own kids and the education that occurs throughout our local schools the real focus on the environment, the focus on recycling and the focus on re-use. There was a Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria expo in Parliament back in August, and they had a recycled scarecrow that was on show. I think the winner this year was from a school in the member for Northcote’s electorate, but it inspired my own kids to rustle through the hard rubbish in our place and create a scarecrow. Sadly, it has not actually scared away too many of the pigeons, but it was still tall and a little bit thin –

Vicki Ward: A bit like you, Paul.

Paul HAMER: A bit like me, member for Eltham; that is correct. It was still a fun re-use. It fell over in the wind. Maybe that is me as well. On that happy note, I commend the bill to the house.

Vicki WARD (Eltham – Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Employment) (15:54): I have to say that is a pretty hard act to follow, member for Box Hill. I am sad to say that my kids are now getting to the age where they are not going to be making scarecrows and doing all those fun crafting things, because at 18 and nearly 21 – not so much. But they are keen recyclers, which is excellent. As anybody who knows my community well would anticipate, we are a great community of recyclers where I live; we absolutely value our environment.

This has been said before, but I am going to say it again – it is a fun fact: more than 1 million containers were recycled on day one of the container deposit scheme (CDS).

Belinda Wilson: How many?

Vicki WARD: One million.

Belinda Wilson: Wow.

Vicki WARD: Thank you. It is amazing. I would have thought that that was a million reasons to recycle, a million reasons to be a part of the container deposit scheme and it shows you how many Victorians are already interested in this. I do think, member for Melton, that your constituent probably gamed the numbers a little bit with their amazing haul, but the dedication of your constituent is something to absolutely be admired. It also shows the possibilities of this scheme, what it can mean for communities and what it can mean for individuals. Any bit of rubbish – and I do not want to call stuff that we are recycling rubbish, but there are not many better words for it – that is not going into landfill is a win. It is an absolute win. If we are able to bring it back into the economy, if we are able to continue to re-use and resell and keep that circular economy going, it is an absolute win. So I find that this policy, the work that we are doing in this space, is absolutely phenomenal.

The CDS advisory group are to be thanked for their work and for the ongoing conversations that they have had with the various ministers. The CDS advisory group included the Australian Hotels Association, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Retailers Association, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Boomerang Alliance. It is a pretty comprehensive group of people. I also do want to thank the various ministers and their staff for all of the work that they have done to bring this really reforming policy to life. It brings into our own communities opportunities for people to recycle stuff and to make some money from it, to actually be able to have a bit more coin in their pockets but really to help support community groups, schools and sporting clubs. There are so many opportunities that come with this container deposit scheme that there really are a million reasons to embrace it.

As you would expect, as Minister for Employment one of the things that I am really interested in with this is the jobs that you can get in recycling. For every 10,000 tonnes of waste recycled 9.2 jobs are generated, compared to 2.8 jobs if that same waste went to landfill. So member for Melton, your constituent is not only putting nearly 1000 bucks into their pocket, they are also helping to create jobs. That really strong, concerted effort of your constituent has helped create jobs in recycling. I tell you what, there are so many gold stars to give this constituent – there really are – and they are a great example, a poster child, for how important this scheme is. As Victoria continues towards its target of diverting 80 per cent of all material away from landfill by 2030 there are so many jobs to be created. As we know, this is a government that loves to create jobs. We spend a lot of time and effort on thinking how we can create jobs, and we are creating meaningful jobs. We are creating jobs that are paying people well, helping them put food on the table and helping them feel that they belong to the community.

The new four-stream recycling system will help divert 20,000 tonnes of glass from landfill, along with organic waste, which emits harmful gases. I do not know about other people here, but I am a bit of a composter. I love composting in my garden. I have got the composting bins, which I am sad to say, member for Box Hill, my kids do not really help so much with; it is Mum’s job. I have recycled my flowerpots. I have put holes in them, taken the tops off and inserted them into my vegie garden as little micro composting pots where the worms go through and around my wicking bed vegie garden. So there is no limit to what we can recycle in our communities and in our state. That is a tip for everyone: recycle your flowerpots – they actually make good micro composting units.

The Labor government’s waste and recycling reforms will create nearly 4000 new jobs and boost our economy by up to $6.7 billion by 2030. That is no mean feat. While we are talking about a million reasons to recycle, there are actually 6.7 billion reasons to recycle, because it does create jobs, it does help strengthen our community and it does help reduce landfill. The CDS is targeting products that are most likely to be consumed away from home with the aim of reducing Victoria’s litter by up to half, and this is no mean feat. The program will generate 645 jobs as it rolls out. The opportunity to create new economic opportunities is endless as we increase the supply of recyclable materials and turn drink containers into new recycled products.

The CDS has also launched in my community, as I am sure it has in yours, Acting Speaker Tak. Currently in my district of Eltham we have four over-the-counter locations. The first one is at Lower Plenty Charcoal Chicken, and I would say, Acting Speaker, go and check them out. It is great chicken, it is great chips, but they also do amazing bureks. This is not something that you would necessarily think you are going to see with your charcoal chicken shop in Lower Plenty, but you are. It is a fantastic local business supporting community.

We have also got the Eltham Milk Bar, which is a great little business located in the heart of my electorate close to local schools –

A member interjected.

Vicki WARD: Yes, it has got lollies. It is on a road with a fair bit of traffic on it. We have also got Oregon Xpress in Eltham North, and that is a fantastic cafe, located just over the road from Holy Trinity Primary School – fantastic school, well populated, great community. Those kids will be recycling like nobody’s business, and they will be popping over to Oregon Xpress to drop their containers off and to grab some pocket money and no doubt grab a couple of lollies along the way.

We have also got Pepper’s Paddock General Store in Wattle Glen. This is a fantastic cafe – amazing food on offer. It is something that you may not expect in the small hamlet of Wattle Glen, but you can get an amazing diversity of food there, and it is a popular gathering place, particularly for out-of-town cyclists. The ability to create even visitor economy revenue is something that is really attractive and really fantastic about our container deposit scheme. These small businesses provide an over-the-counter service, essentially working like a mini depot, providing convenient spots at our local shops while also diversifying the income stream for them. They are not only making money for the community in the sense that it will go to a community group or go into someone’s pocket, they are also generating some revenue for themselves. Really it is an absolute win–win. We know that sites will grow over the next 12 months. As people become more familiar with the program, as they realise that it is quite easy to be a part of and as more people want the opportunity to get some money for their recyclables, this will be a program that will continue to boom.

I have to tell you I was pretty impressed with the 250 stubbies in the wheelie bin, but at our footy clubs this is an amazing opportunity – for example, at a Saturday footy game – to go and chuck your tinnies, your stubbies and the rest of it. Get them over the counter, get some money for your footy club and help invest back into community. There are so many opportunities that come with the container deposit scheme that will absolutely benefit communities while at the same time significantly reducing landfill. There are opportunities for schools, community groups, environment groups, sporting clubs and educational groups to raise funds. They can seek donations of drink containers from their community and redeem them for a refund. They can apply to become a donation partner to receive donations or run a refund point, and I would encourage people across communities, including my own: sign up, be a part of this, be a part of our war on waste, be a part of the reduction in waste and be a part of the circular economy.

What is interesting – in the last 40 seconds that I have got – is waste-to-energy technology has provided a valuable opportunity to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. We send around 4.5 million tonnes of waste to landfill every year. Reducing this amount can help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions but also provide so many opportunities for job creation and economic development. As I said, on this side of the house we are all about job creation, and it is fantastic that we have so many policies that we have put forward, so much legislation that we have put forward, that marry the social good, that marry the economic good along with job creation. I also wish this bill a speedy passage.

Mathew HILAKARI (Point Cook) (16:04): I of course rise to speak on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023.

Darren Cheeseman: A bit out of breath.

Mathew HILAKARI: Of course. I am out of breath because I am so excited about this bill. How could you not be out of breath with a system and a container deposit scheme that has already been through a million cans and bottles in this state? What an extraordinary first day. I want to start by thanking ministers D’Ambrosio, Stitt and Dimopoulos and their offices, their advisers and those people who helped put together this bill. It is an important piece of legislation for all Victorians. We are already seeing it in action. Just yesterday the container deposit scheme in Victoria formally started. Many people might have been gathering cans and bottles prior to that date. At 392 locations, including shopping centres, collection depots and over-the-counter refund points, 10 cents was returned to those Victorians when they deposited each of those over-a-million cans and bottles. I say over a million because I got one in, and I will come back to that in a moment.

It is estimated this will reduce Victoria’s litter by up to half, create new economic opportunities, generate 645 jobs and turn drink containers into new and recycled products. The member for Mordialloc talked a little bit about this earlier and the roads that have been produced in his area from recycled products. We see it in our street furniture and we see it across our community. The container deposit scheme offers Victorian charities, community groups, environmental groups, our wonderful sporting clubs and education organisations new ways to raise funds. I will get to how this is happening in the community that I represent in a moment.

This is despite some opposition in getting this program up and going from those wanting to delay rather than embrace the future and change. I even heard one of those opposite say that there is only one container deposit scheme place in the state. That does not seem to be true – they are sadly mistaken. I was at one of the container deposit scheme refund points last night, straight after Parliament. I am happy to report that it was full steam ahead. In fact it was incredibly well used, because we are crushing it in Altona Meadows at one of three collection points in the community that I represent.

Brad Battin: You can’t crush it, it won’t go through the system.

Mathew HILAKARI: No, we are crushing it. I will come back to the opposition’s concerns about crushing later. For those in my community, the reverse vending machine that I visited last night was in Central Square in Altona Meadows, at the back of Central Square alongside the library that the Victorian Labor government has supported refurbishing. We were there a couple of weeks ago with the mayor, the deputy mayor and a very proud workforce who saw the Altona Meadows library and what our support has done for it.

On the way home from Parliament last night I sought to deposit a few cans, and it was such a roaring success that it was not taking any cans, cartons or plastic bottles because the deposit was already full, ready to be collected by the scheme. But I was able to deposit a glass bottle, and I have the receipt to prove it. It was wonderful; it is a very easy system. You just pop in the bottle and you get to choose what charity you send the money to, or you can take it yourself.

A member: Did you take it yourself or did you give it to a charity?

Mathew HILAKARI: No, I gave it to charity, and I want to give a shout-out to the charity: Youth Off the Streets. Youth Off the Streets supports homeless people across Victoria.

A member: Including in Wyndham.

Mathew HILAKARI: In Wyndham in particular. They support 12- to 24-year-olds who are seeking to get a better life out of homelessness. I look forward to other charities and community groups getting involved as well. Tomra Cleanaway is the group to contact to achieve that. They are doing a great job of making sure that we have container deposit scheme reverse vending machines and over-the-counter deposit places available across our community.

I want to give a shout-out to the member for Narre Warren North, who yesterday talked about the Fruit2Work scheme. When I went to visit the Fruit2Work scheme earlier this year, they were getting on board with the container deposit scheme in a really big way. They help ex-prisoners get back on their feet. They help ex-prisoners turn their lives around, diverting them from the usual course of returning to prison after spending time in prison. They have had a huge success rate in turning people’s lives around and setting them on a new path, which is good for them, their families and our community. Rob and Simon, I just want to give you a shout-out. They were so generous with their time, and they live their values.

This scheme is also about living our values, and remaking the state as we remake material. In all sorts of ways this is making our state better. The Victorian Labor government is committed to a circular economy because it meets so many of our goals. Providing Victorians with a reliable recycling system is a must, because just like Fruit2Work, we seek to live out our values. Our government’s circular economy plan was passed – Recycling Victoria: A New Economy – and was supported by the government in February 2020. Since that time, we have passed a number of acts, including the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021. We made an amendment in 2022, and we have established the waste-to-energy scheme and introduced annual caps on waste that can be processed into thermal waste. Just this morning I heard that being talked about on the radio; the member for Laverton’s community will be hosting one of the waste-to-energy plants, and I understand 45,000 tonnes of waste will be diverted from landfill to produce energy – an amazing thing.

The bill before us today puts into practice the principle that I think should be extended beyond this scheme, which is that producers of pollution should bear the cost of pollution across the entire life cycle of the product that an organisation has sold and profited from. In this case it is the supply of glass, cans and packages from companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Even the producers of Mountain Dew will bear the cost of the container deposit scheme, as they should. Too often companies make good profits by not taking into account the true costs of their products, and it is often the taxpayer and our community who have to pick up that tab.

Beach Patrol 3030, in the electorate that I represent, had their eighth birthday this year, and every time they go out into our community to collect rubbish from the wonderful cliffs at K Road at Werribee South beach and many other places, they are hauling in bags and bags of rubbish – rubbish produced by a company that takes no responsibility for the product once it leaves their factory. It is the community that is left to pick up the cans. It is the community that is left to make our environment beautiful. I am pleased to report, however, that some of the changes that we have already been making are having a real impact on organisations like Beach Patrol 3030. We are seeing less single-use plastics. In fact there are very few straws compared to previous beach patrols I have been involved in. There is very much less single-use plastic. That is why this bill is so particularly important – it is going to take some of those cans out the system, and we will see that increase over time regularly. The container deposit scheme is a step change in what we are doing in Victoria.

Some in the opposition seem to find it difficult that they can no longer crush cans. It is a shock, I am sure. This is a point that has been mentioned many times. I understand how they grieve being able to crush their cans, but we can all move to a future where cans are not required to be crushed. I did hear the member for South-West Coast talk about the lack of being able to have the many hundreds of bottles of beer that she has in her recycling each fortnight – I think it was 5200 stubbies per year. I encourage her support of the brewing industries across Victoria. I hope they are union brew sites that she is purchasing her beer from. What a shame it is that she will not be up to collect that, but if she just makes it down to a reverse vending machine, she too will benefit, like so many other Victorians – like the Victorians that have already deposited 1 million bottles and cans. So I of course commend this bill to the house.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I remind members that the use of props is disorderly and is not permitted.

Members interjecting.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is a prop, and it should not be used.

Darren CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (16:14): I rise this afternoon to make my contribution on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. In reflecting on this bill, I can recall, fondly, as a young boy with my brother and sister and our friends, spending time during our summer holidays in caravan parks as we were growing up, more often than not by the beach but on occasion by inland watercourses. In the day we were able to collect glass bottles from all of the caravan sites. We used to run around and collect them, and we used to of course trade them in through the 1970s and 80s container deposit arrangements that existed back then. I think we got about 5 cents a glass bottle, if my memory serves me correctly. Then we would head off to the milk bar, more often than not in the caravan park, and we would buy ourselves a paper bag of mixed lollies. That is a very fond memory that I have. We used to get Jaffas and –

A member: Red frogs.

Darren CHEESEMAN: red frogs, Chupa Chups, all sorts of different lollies, but mainly a paper bag of mixed lollies. That scheme came to an end. I cannot really remember the particular year that that arrangement came to an end, but it was somewhere I think in the 1980s.

Some decade or two beyond that point I had the great pleasure as a 21-year-old of getting elected to the newly formed City of Ballarat, which had been recently amalgamated with a number of other shires surrounding Ballarat at that time, and I was elected to one of the council’s subcommittees, called the Highlands Regional Waste Management Group. The Highlands waste management group had two councillor delegates from the City of Ballarat and one councillor delegate from the Moorabool shire, the Pyrenees shire, the Golden Plains shire and the Hepburn shire. On this Highlands waste management group, on behalf of all those local government areas, we had responsibility for managing the waste collection and all of the arrangements that underpinned our waste management back then. I was elected first as the deputy chair and then towards the end of that time as the chair of that group.

I can fondly remember that some of the councils within that body were introducing a second rubbish bin to their collection system. It had a yellow bin lid, and that is where all the recycling product was to go into. I think if my memory serves me correctly – I might be wrong – it was the Moorabool shire at that point in time. I can remember making a significant number of media statements with respect to the introduction of this second rubbish bin. I can remember all sorts of conservatives within that shire complaining that the world was going to come to an end, that people would not want to have a second rubbish bin, that they would not want to indeed take up that challenge of recycling their rubbish and allocating all of the waste coming out of their houses into things that would of course go into the ground – into what we would describe as a tip – versus those products that would head off to be recycled.

I can recall at a later date, beyond my time on council, that councils around Victoria introduced a third rubbish bin to the collection of bins that we had, and at that point in time of course it was a green waste bin, where people would put their green waste. I think in the context of most households that would be general clippings from the garden and lawn clippings. Really early on most people probably were not recycling out of their kitchens into a green waste bin. Perhaps some, such as the member for Eltham, might have been, but I am sure the majority of people were not. The interesting thing about that journey that I have just talked about is that at every stage that governments have stepped up and put the responsibility back onto the household or individual but provided strong public policy to support them in recycling products Victorians have stepped up. And at every stage the proportion of waste that has gone off to our municipal tips has in some way declined. I would like to very much commend Victorians.

More recent iterations of this public policy reform with respect to municipal waste have really gone down the path of product stewardship – that is, those that are responsible for the waste in the very first instance: the manufacturers, the people that sell the goods. They are having to take on responsibility beyond those goods leaving their control and being sold to other people – they are having to take responsibility for that product. We have seen the introduction of e-waste measures, mattress measures and deposit container arrangements. I think what we will see is that at each opportunity that we put in place these arrangements we will see less waste, and we will see those that are profiting ultimately from the waste having responsibility for reducing it. I think that is a very good thing.

I know my community will very much embrace the opportunities that come from a container deposit scheme. They will do that in the first instance because it is the right thing to do by the environment. They will also do it because it provides an opportunity to be generous and donate to charities. I listened very intently to the member for Point Cook, who eloquently but without breath made the point that there are some tremendous charities around. This provides a mechanism for Victorians to donate. Certainly in South Barwon we have got a site that has been up and running now for a day or so. It is already full, so no doubt the community has and will embrace this opportunity.

I look forward to this bill passing. I look forward to the Allan Labor government bringing about further reform in this space. I think that is a good thing. I look forward to the day that businesses look at ways that they can reduce packaging. Rather than having half-empty cereal boxes, they ought look to – (Time expired)

Kat THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) (16:24): It is my pleasure to rise today in support of the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. This legislation is not just about policies or practices, it is about values – the values that drive us to prioritise our environment, our communities and the sustainable future of Victoria. It is easy to talk about climate action, but it is quite another to do the work to get on with the real policy and legislation that will make a tangible difference. That is what we have before us: amendments which clarify and streamline and support the operation of Victoria’s container deposit scheme (CDS). This is an exciting scheme. Certainly in my community in the inner north, which in many ways is at the forefront of innovative recycling and sustainability initiatives, it has been eagerly anticipated. As of this month Victorians right across our state will see cans, bottles and cartons in a new light. We are now able to gather them up and head to a refund location, pop them into a reverse vending machine or hand them over the counter. Depending on the refund point, people can choose whether to receive a refund in the form of cash, a retail voucher or an electronic refund, or Victorians can choose to donate their refund to a charity or community organisation registered with the scheme. It is a really important opportunity for Victorian charities, local organisations, sporting clubs and environmental groups to be able to share in the cash benefits of recycling and be part of that cultural and educational change that we need.

We have learned a lot about recycling and sustainability over the last decade. Understanding the importance of separating organics and separating glass at the kerb have been relatively new additions to our collective consciousness. The momentum around keep cups, woven shopping bags and removing single-use plastics has been embraced by Victorians. This is the next iteration of our collective efforts, our shared values and our dedication to reducing waste and litter in our state, and I have no doubt that it will be embraced by communities right across our suburbs.

I know that those opposite have argued that we should have maybe delayed the scheme or the scheme should be different or operate differently, but right now the scheme is open and there are already over 350 refund locations – and that will only build in the coming months. Victorians right now are benefiting from the CDS and the environment is right now benefiting from it. Yesterday there were more than a million containers recycled. This is a massive success already, and there is no good reason to delay.

In my community in Northcote there are a range of sites currently available for residents to go to to get their refunds. You can find them by visiting cdsvic.org.au, but for ease I will list some of them now. Over-the-counter sites include Juline’s Noodle House in Northcote, Upside Liquor in Thornbury, Cafe Baréa in Preston and the IGA on Johnston Street in Abbotsford. For depots our closest one is at Envirobank Recycling in Preston, and for reverse vending machines we can now take containers to Visy Recycling in Reservoir or the Merri-bek council car park on Sydney Road. In the coming months I look forward to seeing Darebin City Council working with our network operator Visy to confirm more sites across our suburbs so communities can access and participate in this important scheme closer to home. I know this scoping is currently underway, and I do encourage local government as well as the owners of large private sites, like supermarket car parks, to be active participants in this. Reducing waste and recycling is truly a community effort, and this scheme is just one part of our mission to divert 80 per cent of all waste from landfill by 2030.

It may not seem like it at first, but the 10-cent refund per item is actually an incredibly important behaviour change incentive. If you have ever been to a litter pick-up like the ones I have done regularly at the Merri Creek with my community, you will have been confronted by the number of cans and bottles that have just been discarded into our natural environment. These are sensitive riverfront and creek ecosystems, and it is heartbreaking when you come back with a sack full of bottles, cans and cartons, knowing the impact of that on our environment. If the 10-cent refund label on the side of a bottle can make the difference at that point in time when a person makes that split-second decision to toss the bottle or to hold onto it, then this scheme is worthy of our support and our investment. It is those micro choices that will cumulatively allow us to not just reach our climate change goals but create that generational behaviour change which is needed to embed sustainability values in the long term.

I do want to acknowledge the grassroots leadership of Friends of Merri Creek and local Scouts and other organisations, who have been involved for many years in community clean-up initiatives. Leadership comes in a myriad of forms. Sometimes it is leadership through government with important overarching policies like the four-bin system, the CDS, the plastic bans and investing in our circular economy. Sometimes it is at a more local level, like the work being done by a group of local residents in Fairfield to encourage local residents and businesses to embrace using re-usables. Amelia Trompf, one of the organisers, met up with me last week to show me a fantastic exhibit she has put up at Fairfield Library to demonstrate things like re-usable party decorations, home-made bread bags and produce bags and re-using children’s artwork as wrapping paper, which we do in my house. It was also fantastic to see so many local businesses like Harvest Foodstore, Three Locals, Bean Counter Cafe, Fifteen Pounds and A1 Bakery in Fairfield all contributing in their creative ways to our sustainable suburbs, with things like produce bags or BYO containers or the Wangim cups.

Sometimes leadership also comes from our inspiring young people. Recently a group of year 6 students at Westgarth Primary Adele Lenne, James Craven, Evie Wear and Sarah Freer wrote to me to share their concerns about the little plastic stickers that are found on fruit and vegetables in the supermarket. What a fantastic issue to raise. These small plastic stickers may seem inconsequential, but when you think about the cumulative scale of all of the fruit and vegetables going through our supermarkets you begin to get a sense of the waste generated by these stickers. So Adele, Evie, James and Sarah had some great suggestions for tackling this issue, including using artificial intelligence to scan the fruit or vegetable to find information about it digitally. I want to thank these students for their innovative thinking and to let them know that I have written to both the Minister for Environment and the CEO of Sustainability Victoria to convey their wonderful ideas.

I am incredibly proud to see real community leadership and local efforts propelling the circular economy forward. The container deposit scheme can only augment that work, giving local families, organisations, schools and businesses yet another opportunity to make a difference and be part of our circular economy. Victorians are innovative and we are adaptive. We know we need to move on from a culture of take, use, dispose. We need a genuinely circular economy, and I will continue to do everything in my power to promote and elevate these efforts. The container deposit scheme is not just about bottles and cans and cartons, it is about creating a future where every product has continued value and no resource is wasted.

In the time I have left I just want to highlight the economic benefits of the container deposit scheme, because as much as this is exceptional environmental policy, it is also wonderful economic policy. A 10-cent refund for every eligible drink container returned is money straight back into the hands of Victorians, into our organisations and our charities, and we will be creating 4000 jobs as part of this scheme across all parts of our state. So for so many reasons I commend this bill to the house.

Ella GEORGE (Lara) (16:34): It is a pleasure to rise in the house today to speak on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. From the outset I must thank the new Minister for Environment for his work in bringing this legislation to the house, and thanks must also go to the previous ministers for environment for the power of work that they have done in this space to establish the container deposit scheme and all across the environment portfolio. This piece of legislation is the culmination of years of work, and it is so integral to our government’s vision to transform the state’s waste and recycling sector.

The bill that we are debating today will amend the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021. The amendments are regulatory in nature but will ensure that Recycling Victoria, who regulate the container deposit scheme, can recover their oversight and regulatory costs. The Allan Labor government is committed to legislating a circular economy right across the state, and this bill is an integral part of that commitment. As a government we have our 10-year circular economy policy, Recycling Victoria: A New Economy. This action plan aims to fundamentally transform the state’s recycling sector, reduce waste, create thousands of jobs and set Victoria up for a more sustainable future.

Our government’s container deposit scheme will contribute to Victoria’s target of diverting 80 per cent of all material away from landfill by 2030 and represents a significant milestone in our journey towards a circular economy. Over the past few weeks we have all seen reverse vending machines pop up at locations across the state, and in fact 392 refund points were open to the public on day one of the scheme, with even more to come. I understand that my colleagues the members for Mildura, Euroa and Narracan were speaking earlier today about sporting clubs being an ideal location for reverse vending machines. I could not agree more, and that is exactly why so many are located at sporting clubs. It is a great way to raise some money for local clubs and also to take the pressure off councils for recycling.

In the electorate of Lara sporting clubs are hosting these machines. We have got reverse vending machines at the Lara Sporting Club, the City of Geelong Bowls Club, Leisuretime Sports Precinct and Norlane community house, which is right next door to the North Shore footy and netball club. Other locations include Corio Village and the Corio fruit market. These venues are open for people to take most of their aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and carton drink containers, and I was blown away when I learned that there are 30,000 types of containers that are approved to go through these machines. Each of these eligible drink containers are worth a 10-cent refund that you can either keep or donate to a community donation partner.

As we know, yesterday was the first day that the container deposit scheme was operational in Victoria, and a whopping 1 million containers were recycled in just one day. That success speaks for itself. I am fairly sure that a big chunk of that 1 million came from residents in the electorate of Lara. At the Lara Sporting Club the bins were full on day one. They posted on Facebook to let the community know, and I quote:

Well we’re a little bit embarrassed but also proud. Our new recycling vending machines which opened just before 10am this morning are already closed for now. All the bins are full and we’re waiting on a truck to empty them.

It is incredible to see the community get behind recycling and fill up these machines on day one. Judging by the comments on social media, local residents are so thrilled about the container deposit scheme starting, and I would like to share some of these with the house. One resident said:

It’s a fantastic result on the first day …

speaking of the Lara reverse vending machine. Another person said:

Great job Lara!

Another said:

This is fabulous! Cant wait to recycle and get some dollars.

One parent said:

Kids will love that …

And another mum answered:

theyre wrapped to make extra pocket money.

And it was not just in Lara, with Corio Village machines filling up on day one too. What an incredible first day of the container deposit scheme. This just shows how invested our community is in recycling and contributing to the circular economy.

When it comes to the circular economy it is not just the container deposit scheme that our community is getting behind. I am sure that I am not just being biased when I say that the Geelong region has the most innovative and forward-thinking community and businesses in our state. The northern suburbs of Geelong, which I represent, are the heart of that. We have some local businesses that are truly paving the way when it comes to leadership in environmental solutions that work towards a circular economy.

Some of this work has been done by our local secondary students at the Geelong Tech School. The Geelong Tech School, which was built and funded by the Andrews Labor government, is a technology hub that emphasises the STEM skills needed to create our circular economy. The Geelong Tech School partners with secondary schools across the region to provide access to the latest technologies, state-of-the-art facilities and innovative learning processes, and it partners with local industries, many from the Lara electorate, including Austeng, Boomaroo Nurseries and Cobram Estate Olives. This ensures that the tech school understands the industries, the direction that they are heading and the needs that they have for the future, and it solidifies learning beyond the school environment.

Now, when it comes to local businesses, we are truly lucky in the Lara electorate to have so many forward-thinking businesses. One of these is Austeng, led by Lyn and Ross George, and they are doing some amazing work both at the Geelong Tech School and also at their engineering business in North Geelong. They are leaders in the circular economy space, working to fight food waste and waste across the wine industry. In fact they have been recognised as one of the top 10 most innovative manufacturing businesses in Australia.

Another local company, Sycle, has a strong desire to protect future generations through smart and sustainable waste solutions. They are taking construction waste off construction sites, waste that would normally go through to landfill, and re-using it to make high-quality construction products. This includes materials that are even used by VicRoads in their products.

Another company is Pavilion Farms, located at Anakie. They are at the forefront of innovation with their biogas initiative. This forward-thinking project aims to transform approximately 30,000 tonnes of chicken litter and other organic waste from their poultry farm into a valuable source of renewable energy and eco-friendly fertilisers. It is an exceptional endeavour. The proposed manufacturing facility is set to yield 8000 tonnes of nutrient-rich organic fertilisers from these waste materials, reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers. Crucially, this initiative not only ensures self-sustaining energy for both segments of their business but also contributes to the local job market. I take great pride in the fact that our government has extended its support to Pavilion Farms by granting them $9.3 million through the Energy Innovation Fund for their remarkable biogas project.

These are just a few of the innovative projects and businesses that are coming out of the electorate of Lara. Projects such as these will generate employment opportunities for Victorians while also helping to achieve our climate change goals and provide the Victorian community with a reliable recycling system. That is exactly what this bill will do with the container deposit scheme.

I do want to speak to the amendments that this bill will introduce to the Environment Protection Act 2017. These powers will protect the EPA, the state and the Victorian taxpayers from bearing the clean-up costs where site remediation is needed. The bill will also amend the act to clarify that liquidators cannot be held personally liable for site clean-up costs incurred by the EPA in relation to appointments relating to the contaminated land. This bill will ensure that recipients of remedial notices can recover costs from polluters in all circumstances for which a notice can be issued.

In the Lara electorate our community knows all too well how important this is. Unfortunately, in 2017 we saw how this could all go wrong. C & D Recycling was located in Lara and had 350,000 cubic metres of waste inappropriately piled up – mostly tyres. Thirty million dollars had to be allocated for the clean-up at this site after the owner went into liquidation and left the site a hazard to the local community. This should never have happened and cannot be allowed to happen again. That is why these amendments to strengthen the EPA and its powers are just so important.

This bill ensures that the full benefits of the circular economy can be realised by the community and by our state. I know that my community is excited that this container deposit scheme will allow them to return their used drink cans, bottles and cartons for a 10-cent refund at the various locations that I mentioned earlier. I know that there are kids out there who are excited to be earning a bit more pocket money and sporting clubs that are really excited to have these located on their premises. I have heard from sporting clubs and other non-profit organisations, like community houses, that they are excited to have an opportunity to benefit from the container deposit scheme because they can receive the container donations from the community. Importantly, we know that the container deposit scheme will reduce Victoria’s litter by up to half, create new economic opportunities, generate hundreds of jobs and turn drink containers into new recycled products. This bill is an important part of the Allan Labor government’s vision for a circular economy in Victoria. I commend this bill to the house, and I wish it a speedy passage.

Jordan CRUGNALE (Bass) (16:44): I will not break out into song, but ‘You’re giving me a million reasons to let you go’ does tribute to Lady Gaga, and the million containers that got let go into reverse vending machines do tribute to this Labor government’s commitment to the circular economy across this fine state of Victoria. This bill supports the efficient operation of our flagship circular economy program, the Victorian container deposit scheme, which we all know started yesterday, and we have heard a lot of contributions from a range of members on this side as well about the impact and the numbers going through these machines in their local districts. Drink cans, bottles and cartons for a 10-cent refund at various locations – over 200 thus far, and the rollout will see them reach 600 across the state. Not a million years away and not a million days away – it is actually less than half a million minutes – we will see 600 by August 2024. I think we can handle that.

Within the 12 months of the scheme’s start, which was yesterday, the network operators are required to have a minimum of one collection point per 14,500 people in metro areas, at least one per town of 750 people in regional areas, such as Bass, and at least one per town of 350 people in remote areas. You see, we are delivering for all Victorians. Jobs times 645, litter reduced by half, new economic opportunities, the turning of containers into new recycled products, a cleaner environment – the highlights just come streaming in. New ways to raise funds as well for charities and sporting clubs, environmental groups, educational institutions, kinders and schools – these groups and organisations will be able to receive container donations from the community, run a refund collection point or host a container collection drive.

Amendments clarify, streamline and support the scheme. In Bass we are pumped and gathering up cans, bottles and cartons off to a refund point.

A member interjected.

Jordan CRUGNALE: Yes, hear, hear! We have got the Return-It crew down in the fine electorate of Bass, who have been rolling out their two depots in the Bass Coast shire – in Wonthaggi and Cowes – and a stream of reverse vending machines. In fact I was working with the company to get them in touch with local providers when they had a couple of gaps in the smaller towns, so they have all come online.

A member interjected.

Jordan CRUGNALE: I am certainly still not singing. It was great. Even on my Facebook post people are telling me ‘There’s one in Koo Wee Rup’, and I am like ‘Where?’ It is at the corner of Rossiter Road and Station Street. It was great to have the community out there sending me text messages and photos of where they are all at. The opportunities abound. You can sign up and you can be that circular catalyst in your community. When you are out for a walk have a little satchel – you could have one of my ‘Community at heart’ bags as well. It is a bit of physical exercise. It strengthens your knees with that pick-up when you are off for a walk. It is a thought-out program.

Juliana Addison interjected.

Jordan CRUGNALE: Don’t – I’ll get the giggles, member for Wendouree. It is a thought-out program. Some might say ‘It took too long’, ‘You can’t collect cans’ and ‘You have that feel-good perception only and see the stockpile going nowhere’. Circular means circular. This is where we are at, and this is all the work that we had done before the introduction of this program yesterday. A bit of a round of applause for Recycling Victoria. They will monitor the scheme. Currently the act does not enable them to charge fees to cover the cost of acquitting their responsibilities in relation to the scheme.

I thought in that circular space I may as well go off on a slight tangent with the organics and the various programs that we have introduced across Victoria through our circular economy plan – obviously the new four-stream waste and recycling system for all households to get more recycling and less waste. I was fortunate to be on a council, it feels like a very long time ago, where through our waste management plan we introduced organics. We were the 12th LGA in the state, and this was back in 2016–17. That actually diverted over 76 per cent, which was going into landfill at the Grantville tip. Obviously not having organics go into your tip means that they last longer and have less emissions, and also the food waste goes up to Dutson Downs and comes back and nourishes our land.

We have in that circular economy space, like the member for Lara was talking about, construction crews and innovative projects and businesses that are kind of really at the forefront of innovation in that circular economy space as well. We have one of the most sustainable housing estates in the country in Cape Paterson, which has between 8- and 10-star homes there. In fact the power companies did not want to run lines in because they were not going to make any money because it is that well designed. All the houses are orientated so they do not even need heating or cooling. The building materials that they are starting to use now are very low carbon, I think the word is.

It was a pleasure to be at Phillip Island – Millowl – the other day too, when we officially opened Berninneit, which is the cultural centre. Berninneit in Bunurong means ‘gather together’. The building itself is going to win a whole heap of awards. I am very partial to bricks, aggregate concrete and tiles, and I was pleased that they used a lot of bricks. They were actually made in Victoria and –

A member interjected.

Jordan CRUGNALE: Yes, the Romans – anyway, they are carbon-neutral. I do not know; I get mixed up with all those words anyway. But regardless, whatever it took to make them did not do anything to the environment is basically what I am trying to say. I do want to give a shout-out to Jackson Clements Burrows, the architects, and the builders, McCorkell Constructions, for what is probably the most passive building in the whole Southern Hemisphere. It will certainly win a whole swag of awards, no doubt, when all those awards come up.

On the circular economy, the cash for cans scheme – obviously we have spoken about that one. We are also doing a whole heap of work: we have banned single-use plastics; we have got new recycling laws and governance to support best practice waste management, resource use and recycling; and in agriculture and public transport we are seeing a very clear pathway to green renewable energy and electrification.

In addition to the circular economy reforms, the bill will introduce amendments to the Environment Protection Act 2017, which will strengthen the authority, which is always a good thing, so that it is not required to automatically release a financial assurance when property or a permission is no longer held or a notice or order no longer applies to the person who provided the assurance following a liquidator’s disclaimer or other event if environmental and financial risks still exist. This power will protect the EPA, the state and Victorian taxpayers from bearing clean-up costs when remediation is still needed.

The bill will also amend the act to clarify that liquidators cannot be held personally liable for site clean-up costs incurred by the EPA in relation to appointments relating to contaminated land. The bill will also ensure that recipients of remedial notices can recover costs from polluters in all circumstances for which a notice can be issued. At present a person issued with an environmental action notice or site management order by the EPA cannot recover any costs from a person who caused the pollution, except in the case of contaminated land, so this does not support the polluter-pays principle specified in the EPA. The bill will amend the act to ensure the EPA can delegate its powers or functions conferred under other acts as well. The act currently does not provide for delegation of powers or functions conferred by the EPA under any act. When we look at this whole circular economy, there are a million reasons –

A member interjected.

Jordan CRUGNALE: Well, that is right, and they are everywhere. They are going be in Lang Lang. They are going to be in Corinella –

A member interjected.

Jordan CRUGNALE: It is a tiny town. They will be in Koo Wee Rup and in Cranbourne West, which is not in the electorate of Bass, but we will take it. I said that we have got the two depots in Wonthaggi and Inverloch.

A member interjected.

Jordan CRUGNALE: So far, yes. It is going a little bit crazy on Facebook, with people taking photos outside their vending machines, and the kids are out collecting cans. Obviously it is always best to have your own water drink bottle and not get – (Time expired)

Daniela DE MARTINO (Monbulk) (16:54): It gives me great pleasure to rise and speak on the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. I am conscious I will not have the full 10 minutes and I am sure that all my wonderful colleagues on all sides of the chamber will be quite excited when 5 o’clock comes around and the adjournment commences, but I am hoping that I can keep you all interested in what I have to say here, because I have to say I am incredibly excited about this.

For those who do not know, for the last seven years prior to entering Parliament I owned an organic store, and the reason I believed in organics was I believe we need to tread more lightly on this earth – all of us. We not only have an obligation to ourselves, we have an obligation to every child on this planet and all the future children to come. To each and every person here, we must tread more lightly. The resources of this planet that we have used for centuries – the fossil fuels – are not infinite. We do have resources which are infinite – there is sun, power and wind – and we are finally, finally utilising those and understanding that we need to reduce our consumption, we need to re-use things we have consumed and we need to recycle. I am thrilled about the container deposit scheme that we have enacted here in Victoria, and it seems that there are a million reasons, as has been stated by some of my colleagues, for us all to get excited about it. One million containers returned in a day is extraordinary.

A member: How long?

Daniela DE MARTINO: One day – less than one day when you think about it; I am sure people were not doing it at 3 am. If there is nothing else that tells us how ready Victorians are, that certainly says it loud and proud.

I have to say, when I was a little tacker I used to look at the can that said I could get 5 cents if I lived in South Australia, and it was probably the only time I have ever wanted to live in South Australia. Now that one little reason is gone, because here in Victoria I can get 10 cents. But I will not be taking those 10 cents; I will be donating them to one of the many charities out there that are really excited about this opportunity.

In Monbulk the SES unit in Emerald have put their hand up to receive these containers. They are really excited, genuinely excited, about the opportunity for them to raise some money but also to bring the community in, because by drawing the community in with their containers, they are bringing people to come and visit them who otherwise might not have had a connection to their SES. What a fantastic way to invite the public in in a different way. It is innovative, and I congratulate the organisations that have had this thought and gone ‘Actually, not only will we get a little bit of money, we might get some new volunteers who come and see what we’re doing, get enthusiastic and join us’. I think we get more bang for our buck than we even realise. It goes beyond 10 cents a container, may I say.

I am incredibly excited. Look at the changes across our state in the last few years alone. Look at the food organics and garden organics. The way we are managing our waste is extraordinary. The way it used to be – the member for Pascoe Vale and I were discussing our grandparents’ passion in the 1980s for incinerating things in the backyard: ‘Throw it in the incinerator. Have you got plastic left over? Throw it in the incinerator.’

A member: Everything!

Daniela DE MARTINO: Everything went in the incinerator. Thank heavens those times are long, long gone. We are smarter, we are wiser and we are being kinder to our planet and therefore kinder to everyone on it. We have worked out that we cannot just burn things. In fact we have to be clever, and that is what we are doing with this. In encouraging people to turn up and return their containers, we are making sure that this waste does not end up in landfill, that it is not just thrown out a window, that it is not just cast aside on the street. We are making sure that people take responsibility for the waste they generate and that they do something positive with it.

I have to say there has been a little bit of negativity on that side of the chamber today – maybe ‘a little bit’ is being generous – and that is disappointing. I think we have to accept that you cannot flick a switch overnight and everything will be completely 100 per cent ready to go and finished – no way. Things have to evolve, and they are evolving. As we watch more and more community organisations step up and say ‘We’d like to be part of this, and in doing so we will throw open our doors to our communities and let them in’, it will be fantastic.

I commend this bill to the house. I thank the ministers involved – the previous Minister for Environment and the current Minister for Environment – who have put so much passion, time and energy into this, and all their teams involved, because none of this happens by accident. It happens through hard work, determination and a clear vision of who we are, who we want to be and the direction we want to be heading in. I am incredibly proud.

The SPEAKER: Order! The time set down for consideration of items on the government business program has arrived, and I am required to interrupt business. The house is considering the Environment Legislation Amendment (Circular Economy and Other Matters) Bill 2023. The minister has moved that the bill be now read a second time. The member for Brighton has moved a reasoned amendment to this motion. He has proposed to omit all of the words after ‘That’ with the view of replacing them with the words which have been circulated. The question is:

That the words proposed to be omitted stand part of the question.

Those supporting the reasoned amendment by the member for Brighton should vote no.

Assembly divided on question:

Ayes (50): Juliana Addison, Jacinta Allan, Colin Brooks, Josh Bull, Anthony Carbines, Ben Carroll, Darren Cheeseman, Anthony Cianflone, Sarah Connolly, Chris Couzens, Jordan Crugnale, Lily D’Ambrosio, Daniela De Martino, Matt Fregon, Ella George, Luba Grigorovitch, Bronwyn Halfpenny, Katie Hall, Paul Hamer, Martha Haylett, Sam Hibbins, Mathew Hilakari, Melissa Horne, Lauren Kathage, Sonya Kilkenny, Nathan Lambert, Gary Maas, Alison Marchant, Kathleen Matthews-Ward, Steve McGhie, Paul Mercurio, John Mullahy, Danny Pearson, Tim Read, Pauline Richards, Tim Richardson, Ellen Sandell, Ros Spence, Nick Staikos, Natalie Suleyman, Meng Heang Tak, Nina Taylor, Kat Theophanous, Mary-Anne Thomas, Emma Vulin, Iwan Walters, Vicki Ward, Dylan Wight, Gabrielle Williams, Belinda Wilson

Noes (22): Brad Battin, Jade Benham, Roma Britnell, Tim Bull, Martin Cameron, Chris Crewther, Wayne Farnham, Emma Kealy, Tim McCurdy, Cindy McLeish, James Newbury, Danny O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, John Pesutto, Richard Riordan, David Southwick, Bill Tilley, Bridget Vallence, Peter Walsh, Kim Wells, Nicole Werner, Jess Wilson

Question agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

Read second time.

Third reading

Motion agreed to.

Read third time.

The SPEAKER: The bill will now be sent to the Legislative Council and their agreement requested.