SUBJECTS: Nine new recycling projects in NSW; $60 million funding for hard-to-recycle plastics; Plastic passport; Voice referendum

PENNY SHARPE, NSW MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE: Good morning. I'm Penny Sharpe, I'm the Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Heritage in New South Wales. I'm very pleased to be at Bingo today with my Federal counterpart Tanya Plibersek, who's the Federal Minister for Environment and Water.

Today we're here at Bingo and I want to thank Chris for being here and for hosting us here today to talk about two really important projects that are really about getting recycling happening and really moving Australia to a circular economy.

The two things that we want to talk about today are this. First is the remanufactured program. I'm really pleased to be here today to talk about nine projects that are being announced that are being co funded here with the Federal Government, and they're to deal with plastic and paper and cardboard and tyres.

We want to make sure that there is not one piece of waste that ends up in landfill where it doesn't need to do that. There's a huge potential here, you just need to look around this warehouse here today. The sorting that happens here and then the reuse of that into those products over there is something that we want to see.

We can announce nine co-funded projects today, and they're for Plasma New Gen, Delta Plastic, Re.Group, TrendPac Plastics, Disruptive Packaging, the SAMI Bitumen Technologies, Auslink International, Egans Asset Management and Max Mattresses and Furniture.

This is about dealing with tyres and actually using the recycled tyres into roads. It's about dealing with things like polystyrene and waxed paper. It's about making sure that we reduce as much plastic as possible, both coming into the system but then maximising what is reused so that we can reduce it over time. Plastic stays around forever. In New South Wales we have about 800,000 tonnes of plastic every year and only about ten per cent of that is recyclable and turned around.

So I might hand over to Tanya who's going to talk about our next round of funding.

TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Thanks so much, Penny, and thanks to Bingo for having us here today.

The circular economy is a great news story. It's obviously good for the environment to keep waste out of landfill, but it's also good for our economy. It creates jobs. There are three jobs in recycling for every job there is in landfill. We want to see more of that.

We know that plastic is a real problem in our environment. In fact if we keep going the way we're going, by 2050 the plastic in our oceans will outweigh fish in our oceans. So we are absolutely determined to see more of our waste diverted from landfill, more of it recycled, less waste produced in the first place.

As Penny said, today we're announcing a number of excellent projects that have benefited from co investment from the New South Wales Government and the Federal Government, and that will make a real difference to recycling capacity here in New South Wales. It's an extra 20,000 tonnes a year diverted from landfill recycled and 100 extra jobs created with that investment. But of course we can't stop here.

We've set some really ambitious recycling targets as a nation, but we are way off achieving them. And one of the reasons is this capacity for recycling, it's just good enough yet. We want to see a doubling of recycling capacity in our country by 2025. We're on track for that. We've got over 50 projects already funded around the country; 12 projects already delivered through our recycling modernisation fund.

But we know there's a particular problem with soft plastics. People know what happened with REDcycle. REDcycle was collecting soft plastics from supermarkets and as it turns out stockpiling thousands of tonnes of soft plastic because we didn't have the recycling capacity here in Australia.

So today I'm announcing a $60 million fund that will focus particularly on hard to recycle plastics like soft plastics. We need to keep them out of the environment. We need to be able to recycle them so they can have a second life. The sort of technologies we'll be investing in are the incredible advanced separation technologies that we're seeing here, with waste automatically being separated into different waste streams. But also technologies that, for example, take those hard to recycle plastics, convert them into oil and can then be remanufactured into plastic once again. This $60 million investment will be open for applications shortly and I am certainly encouraging companies with the support of State Governments like New South Wales to make applications to see some of this investment.

One other thing that I'm also very pleased to announce today is the beginning of the consultation of the national traceability framework for plastic. Now we know that food manufacturers, for example, say they would love to use more recycled content in their food packaging, but they need to be confident that that recycled content is food grade. That means it's free of contaminants, it's free of harmful chemicals that shouldn't come into contact with food. Well how do they have the confidence to do that? We need to make sure that we know what's in the recycled content, where it's come from, whether there are particular chemicals or particular plastic polymers in there and what those plastics can be used for. We know that consumers are very keen to see recycled plastic in products that you buy, and the traceability framework gives us the additional benefit of preventing greenwashing. We don't want companies making claims about being more environmentally sustainable if they're not doing the hard work to get there. So the consultation on this traceability framework will be open till the 31st of August.

I'm working really closely with State and Territory Environment Ministers like Penny Sharpe. We are all very committed to seeing increased recycling rates in Australia, better design in the first place so we're creating less waste in the first place, more opportunities to prepare and reuse goods, and then as a last resort recycling to keep these goods out of landfill. Thanks very much. Any questions?

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] products and passport program, the traceability program work?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well the reason that we're opening consultation on the traceability framework now is to make sure that we get great advice from industry, from scientists, from environmentalists, from State Governments, from local government that are dealing with the kind of common waste that they're picking up through kerb side pick up to make sure the system works for everyone.

This is not a unique idea. Certainly other jurisdictions are looking at these traceability frameworks, and in fact if we want to be trading with other jurisdictions that have traceability frameworks we're going to need to know what's in our recycled plastic.

I should say several months ago Australia joined the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Waste. There are countries all around the world that are keen to do what we want to do here in Australia, which is divert waste from landfill, produce less waste in the first place, design our products so that they're better for the environment, that they're using less virgin plastic and less material in the first place, and when they are, making sure that we can divert those materials from landfill. This is a global movement and other countries with high ambition for the environment are working very closely with Australia to make sure that we're getting this story right internationally as well as domestically.

JOURNALIST: So practically speaking how would the passport, how would it work? Would it be able to trace, say, a Coke bottle from its very inception right through to its end? Like how does it function?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yeah, so this is what the consultation is all about and the idea is that you'd be able to look at a plastic bottle and it says it's 90 per cent recycled, you'd be able to scan bar code or a QR code and be confident from the information that you can get as a consumer that that material is what it says.

But almost more importantly than that, it's giving confidence to manufacturers that when they buy the aggregate   there's PVC crumb and PVC powder here, it's come from these old PVC pipes and it's going to get crushed and then powdered and remade into recycled pipes. If you're saying to your consumer, "Look, here's 100 per cent recycled pipe, it's going to cost you five per cent more or ten per cent more but you're doing a really good thing for the environment", then you need to know that you've got the PVC, that it's the right product put into those pipes, and the consumer needs to know that they're getting what they paid for.

We know that we can work with industry in a simple, streamlined way to give manufacturers that confidence and consumers that confidence. And what we're doing here is creating a market for the recycled content that's coming off the conveyor belts here.

It's really important that we are reducing waste in the first place, that we're recycling more, but once we've recycled it we need markets for that recycled material. And these traceability frameworks are designed to give confidence in that market that when you say it's 100 per cent recycled, you say it's 50 per cent recycled, that it is. If you're saying this is, as some products now do, they say this is made from ocean plastics, plastic that's been pulled out of the ocean, fantastic environmental benefit. But if you're saying that and as a consumer you're paying for that, then you deserve to be confident that that's what you're getting.

JOURNALIST: Only ten per cent of plastic is recycled in New South Wales, how unacceptable is that statistic? And also why should Australians even bother using the recycling bin?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well I'm going to hand it over to Penny Sharpe to talk about New South Wales in particular, and I'll say this. We are at the beginning of a recycling revolution in Australia. We've got a $250 million commitment from the Commonwealth Government. With our partners in the States, with our partners in industry we hope we're talking closer to a billion-dollar investment in upgrading our recycling facilities here in Australia.

That means Australians can be more and more confident that what they put into their yellow bin will end up having a second life. That's great for the environment. It is also really good for productivity in this country. It means we're getting more out of everything we dig out of the ground; out of every raw material we use. We're giving it a second life, a third life.

It's also really good for employment. As I said, when we recycle we employ three times the number of people than if we were just driving these trucks straight to landfill. So it's good for the environment, it's good for our productivity as a nation, and it's really good for jobs too. But I will let Penny talk about New South Wales' efforts.

SHARPE: Ten per cent recycling of plastic is clearly unacceptable. I don't think anyone in the community wants that to occur.  The challenge here is really partly what we're talking about today, is to fund start up programs that are dealing with hard to recycle plastics. It's about working with local government and education in terms of what goes into the yellow bin, so if people are inadvertently polluting the bin. I have to fight with my teenage daughter almost every day about what goes into the recycling bin.

We need to know that what's going in is going to find its way to a place like this and it's all going to be able to be used. This is why these grants are so important. They show what can be done with PVC pipe, they show what can be done with those soft plastics. Tanya talked about the Red Cycle issue. I think all of those people who dutifully collected all of their soft plastic were absolutely shocked to find out that it wasn't been recycled. This next round of grants is actually about addressing that and finding those ways to deal with those hard things that we haven't been able to find recycling for.

The other point that I'd make, and the New South Wales Government is looking really closely at this, is how can we look at more mandated recycling content in the things that are being built so that we can drive a market for it. So it doesn't just get collected, it actually gets reprocessed. But more importantly there's a market for it and it can be reused. I believe the community is ready for this. In fact I think they're screaming down   it's actually plastic free July as we speak. And every little community group that I meet with is off doing a whole lot of work in this area. It's the Government's role to help them and I think we can really build that recycling rate and we're determined to do so.

JOURNALIST: Perhaps this is a question for the Federal Minister but how does New South Wales compare to other States when it comes to recycling plastics?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well this is a challenge nationally. I mean the previous Federal Government years ago set a target of 70 per cent for recycling and it's been stuck for four years at about 16 per cent overall. So we are way off meeting our recycling targets nationally. We set ambitious targets under the previous Government. We have missed them every year. They really did not budge for the four years after those targets were set.

So what do we need to do? We absolutely need to invest in the recycling facilities like this state of the art facility to make sure that we've got the capacity to recycle the waste that we have sought and recycle the waste that we're collecting.

We need to work on redesign. Penny's talking about mandating the use of recycled content. We're working with State and Territory Environment Ministers right now on stronger, tougher packaging regulation because we know that without regulation these targets aren't going to be met.

We're working on regulating solar panel and e waste. We've given those industries the opportunity to increase their recycling and repair and reuse, remanufacturing. They haven't done that so we're coming in to regulate.

It's a combination of investment in infrastructure, it's the ability and willingness for governments to work together nationally to regulate, and of course it's working with Australians themselves who show us every day that they are super keen to produce less waste in the first place and recycle more.

JOURNALIST: Just on those possible mandates, how soon could they be enforced and are we essentially saying that manufacturers will be forced to use recycled materials only in packaging?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: We're looking at packaging regulation in 2025, much stronger packaging regulation by 2025. And through that period we'll be talking with industry, with obviously State and Territory Governments, with scientists, environmentalists, the people who are producing the packaging, through the manufacturers in particular, to work out the best way forward to reduce waste, stop plastic ending up in the environment, use less in the first place and recycle more of what we use. 

JOURNALIST: Clearly the facilities that we have in Australia aren't coping with the amount of recycling. Instead of small grants should we be building large scale new recycling plants?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well we're doing that. I mean we're not talking about small grants. We're talking about, with the recycling modernisation fund, the co investment of the States and Territories, the co investment with industry, you know, close to a billion dollars of investment.

We've also got at the Federal level the National Reconstruction Fund, which is also investing in circular economy recycling, remanufacturing and so on. We've got some enormous facilities like this. I am told this might be one of the largest facilities in the world of its type. We're not doing things on a small scale in Australia. We've got 57 facilities being built, 12 already complete. They are state of the art facilities.

Now it's important to say in a country as big as Australia that's going to work really well for urban areas and our suburbs and outer suburbs. We've also got real challenges because we've got tiny communities where people would like to be recycling but the nearest recycling facility is two days' drive away. So we need to be prepared to invest in these really large scale facilities, but we also need to have solutions that meet the needs of different communities across the country.

JOURNALIST: Just on The Voice, do you think voters are thinking of The Voice at a time when cost of living pressures are getting so [inaudible]?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yeah, I think Australians can walk and chew gum at the same time. Of course cost of living is top of mind for our Government. That's why on 1st of July we dropped childcare fees. That's why we have lowered, in fact halved the cost of medicines for millions of Australians. That's why we're making it easier to see a doctor bulk billed using your Medicare card, not your credit card. It's why we provided energy bill relief to millions of Australians. It's why we've increased Commonwealth Rent assistance. It's why we back wage increases, particularly for low paid workers.

We know that the cost of living is a real burden for many families. We know they're doing it tough. As a government that is always going to be our day job, our bread and butter. What we're doing every single day is sensibly investing to take pressure off families.

But we can also think about the sort of nation we want Australia to be. We can also take the time to think about and talk to other Australians about the fact that in this country we have 65,000 years of continuous culture and history that all of us can be proud of and that that should be reflected in our founding document, our national constitution. That's not a big ask, to just have that acknowledgement in our constitution.

And when it comes to The Voice what are we talking about? We're talking about listening to people on the issues that affect their lives. Recognition and listening. We've got everything to gain and nothing to lose by making this change to our constitution.

I'm confident that Australians as we have these conversations on doorsteps with our friends, with our neighbours, with our colleagues, will understand that this is a great opportunity for Australia to show the world that we're a grown up nation.

JOURNALIST: There has been a slip in support for The Voice, are you confident in turning it around?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Look, I think there's a very clear scare campaign going on from opponents of The Voice who are coming up with all sorts of crazy suggestions that The Voice will be talking about parking tickets and, you know, God knows what else.

I think that we can counter that scare campaign and I do truly believe that when Australians hear this message that the referendum is about two simple things. It's about acknowledging in our constitution that Australia was not an empty land when Europeans first came here, that there was a culture or cultures, many cultures here, that had survived for thousands of years. Acknowledging that in our constitution, that's no threat to anyone.

But we're proud of that history. We're proud of our modern institutions and, you know, the fact that we've got a Westminster system of government. We're proud of the fact that we're the most successful multicultural nation on earth.

All of these things can co exist and acknowledging our 65,000 years of history is a great start to that, and The Voice, I mean that is just common sense. What will The Voice do? If you listen to people when you're making decisions about their lives you get more effective decisions and you save money, you actually achieve what you've set out to achieve. That's what The Voice is about.

JOURNALIST: Can I just ask; I know obviously this isn't your portfolio but it's just breaking this morning that Premier Daniel Andrews in Victoria is set to announce that the Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria will be cancelled due to funding issues. Is the Federal Government working with Victoria on that issue?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Look, I couldn't comment on that. It's something that you'll have to follow up with Daniel Andrews and the Sport Minister. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Just a quick question for Penny. Waverley Council's banned gas cooking and gas heating in new builds. Is it just a matter of time before it's banned in all new builds in New South Wales or Australia?

SHARPE: The move to electrification is definitely something that all jurisdictions are looking at. I know that the ACT has already moved this way. New South Wales is having a look at all of this, but we haven't made a decision. We're very mindful of cost of living issues. But the move to electrification so that people can put solar on their roofs and use that is a good thing.

JOURNALIST: Is there concern that by delaying the closure of Eraring and Vales Point that could risk the emissions reduction goals of New South Wales

SHARPE: No, in New South Wales we're very clear about this. We're going to be legislating later this year for all the emissions reductions target that is we took to the election. We're setting up the Net Zero Commission. We're working very hard on energy reliability as we make this transformation. We're really going through the industrial revolution in about 15 years, and we have to stick with it and stay on it, but we believe that we will not only legislate those targets and we'll also meet them.

SPEAKER: Thank you everyone.

END