Boomerang Alliance

Monday, 18 July 2011 18:02

The Boomerang Alliance of environment groups today protested in Melbourne withdrawing from the Commonwealth investigation of a national ten cent container deposit scheme.

With banners, protestors and littered bottles and cans the Boomerang Alliance protest at Queensbridge Sq in Melbourne, coincided with a Federal consultation meeting in Melbourne on ways to address packaging waste.

“For 30 years South Australia has shown the way with a ten cent deposit on bottles and cans. The Northern Territory is now following with their own scheme and meanwhile the Commonwealth has spent the past eight years dithering” said Dave West, National Policy Director, Boomerang Alliance.

“This process is both delayed and corrupted. We do not believe the Federal department can manage this process and in fact the investigation is designed to fail. There is no way this Federal process will resolve this issue."

“In opposition the Victorian government supported Victoria acting independent of a national scheme and they backed the Victorian Greens draft legislation. They must now follow through on their commitment and lead the rest of the country by again supporting this legislation."

“The Federal department and some state government officials are now simply too close to some of the beverage companies. Companies like Coca Cola, who oppose deposit legislation for their own narrow self interest, now, effectively run this debate."

“It’s not good enough for the Victorian Liberal party to say one thing in opposition and do another thing in government. They must fulfill their promises and support the Greens legislation to introduce a statewide recycling scheme now or be seen as just another cynical government” said West.

Review of Packaging RIS Approach [140kb, 2011]

Link to ABC Radio story