Packaging impacts
On 30 November 2011, the Standing Council on Environment and Water reinforced its commitment to addressing community concerns about packaging waste and litter by agreeing to release the Packaging Impacts Consultation RIS and associated documents for public consultation. The release of the Consultation RIS is a key step in the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) process for considering appropriate action to address a problem, including national regulation.
Consultation summary
The Packaging Impacts Consultation RIS was released on 7 December 2011 for a three month public consultation period, closing on 30 March 2012. During this period, written submissions were invited and public forums were held in all capital cities and three regional cities.
Information from the public forums and submissions will help inform policy development later in 2012. The COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water would like to thank all those who provided submissions and attended public consultation sessions.
Consultation Summary Report
The Consultation Summary Report provides a summary of the key messages arising from the public consultation sessions and public submissions. It is an overview of the main matters raised by the public regarding the Consultation RIS
- Consultation Summary report (PDF - 823KB) | (Word - 73KB)
- Consultation Summary Questions and Answers (PDF - 356KB) | (Word - 33KB)
- Consultation RIS submissions
Public Forums
Eleven public forums on the Packaging Impacts Consultation RIS were held from mid-February to early March 2012 in all capital cities and three regional cities ( Townsville QLD, Bunbury WA and Albury NSW). These forums summarised the key findings of the Consultation RIS and the RIS process, and gave attendees an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.
In addition, directly following each of the public forums, a limited number of bilateral meetings were held for individuals or organisations (such as industry groups, community groups or local government representatives) that have substantial interest in the RIS.
The presentation below was provided by co-chairs of the Senior Officers Oversight Group and by PricewaterhouseCoopers at the public forums held in February and March 2012. In addition, questions and answers from the public forums and more detailed responses to stakeholder questions on the consultation documents are now available.
Download the Public Forum presentation and associated documents
- Q&A from the Packaging Impacts Consultation Regulation Impacts Statement (RIS) public forums (PDF - 517 KB)
- CRIS Public Forum Presentation (PDF - 1.4 MB)
- Summary Report: Packaging Impacts Stakeholder Workshop December 2010 (PDF - 628 KB)
Email Bulletin
Over coming months emails will be issued to keep interested stakeholders updated on the consultation process, including information on public forums, venues and timing. If you would like to be included on the email distribution list, please send your details (name, position, organisation, contact details) to productstewardship@environment.gov.au.
About the Consultation RIS
The options investigated in the Consultation RIS are container deposit schemes (CDSs), an advance disposal fee, industry-run schemes that may be co-regulated under the Product Stewardship Act 2011, and a nationally consistent government initiative. One of the CDS options investigated was proposed by environment groups and one of the co-regulatory options was proposed by the packaging industry. The analysis also recognises existing packaging recovery and litter reduction systems in the base case. The base case, against which the other options are assessed, includes South Australia's long-standing CDS; the CDS to commence in the Northern Territory in early 2012; the provision of kerbside recycling services to most Australian households; and the Australian Packaging Covenant.
This Consultation RIS does not indicate a preferred option and seeks feedback on the options, analysis and statement of the problem. The consultation process forms an important part of testing the models and estimates in the RIS, and provides an opportunity for the community to put forward additional evidence to support or change the analysis.
For more information regarding the Packaging Impacts Consultation RIS, please refer to the document 'Frequently Asked Questions'.
Download the Consultation RIS and associated documents
- Q&A on the Packaging Impacts Consultation Regulation Impacts Statement (RIS) and Attachments A, B and C (PDF - 643 KB)
- Packaging Impacts Consultation Regulation Impact Statement - December 2011 (PDF - 1 MB)
- Frequently Asked Questions - Packaging Impacts Consultation RIS (PDF - 24 KB)
- Attachment A - Problem Statement for Packaging (PDF - 2.3 MB)
- Attachment B - Packaging Options Report (PDF - 528 KB)
- Attachment B - Appendix B - Best Practice International Packaging Approaches (PDF - 1.9 MB)
- Attachment C - Cost Benefit Analysis Report (PDF - 1.9 MB)
- ABARES Comments on Cost Benefit Analysis (PDF - 92 KB)
- Attachment D - Glossary (PDF - 314 KB)
- Community Preferences for Litter Reduction (PDF - 1 MB)
- Packaging Impacts CRIS Consultancy Brief - April 2011 (PDF - 197 KB)