To the Honourable President and members of the Senate in Parliament assembled. Your petitioners ask that the Senate support the Product Stewardship Amendment (Packaging and Plastics) Bill 2019.
Most of us are doing our bit, with more of us avoiding single-use plastics. But we need to stop single-use plastic being made in the first place and get plastics out of our oceans and off our streets.
We need new laws to address our plastic crisis.
The Greens bill will phase out single-use plastics and ban certain products in line with legislation being rolled out in the EU.
It will also make binding Federal laws that hold industry to account on recycling targets.
Many states, territories and local governments have responded to public concern about single-use plastics by bringing in plastic bag bans and container refund schemes. Businesses have also responded by bringing in company-wide bans.
At a federal level, however, the laws are weak and industry packaging targets are voluntary.
Addressing our plastics and recycling crisis requires new laws at a federal level - laws that apply right across the country.