'Like a scene from Utopia': how NSW botched plastic bag ban


READ MORE

As of Sunday, NSW has the dubious distinction of being the only state in the nation not to have in train a ban on single-use thin plastic bags – a stance more to do with party politics than logic or science.


Three Coalition environment ministers – Rob Stokes, Mark Speakman and Gabrielle Upton – all actively sought a ban, only to be stymied by ill-timing in the case of the first two, and intransigence in the case of the third, insiders say.


Australia consumes at least 9 billion single-use plastic bags a year but the tide is turning.

Australia consumes at least 9 billion single-use plastic bags a year but the tide is turning.


Photo: Wolter Peeters

Agencies led by the NSW Environment Protection Authority did all the regulatory preparation for a phase-out, only to have then premier Mike Baird declare a “ban on bans” in late 2016 after a humiliating reversal on his government’s plan to end the greyhound racing industry in the state.


As of today, Queensland and Western Australia join the other states and territories in banning bags, nine years after South Australia first curbed them.


Victoria sifted through more than 8000 submissions from the public – the most received for any environmental issue, with 96 per cent in favour of a ban. Last week, the Andrews government announced a ban on single-use plastic bags by late 2019, leaving NSW as the lone hold-out.


Article source: https://www.watoday.com.au/national/science-a-strange-omission-from-ramsay-centre-s-study-of-the-west-20180625-p4znix.html?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

World Cup Central: Dhoni, Akhtar, Botham in All Blacks all-time cricket XV

READ MORE Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print World Cup fever has crossed platforms. There was Harry Kane sneaking into India’s training sessions to meet Virat Kohli. And now there’s the All Blacks picking a XV made up of past and present cricketers. With the @cricketworldcup underway in England, we’ve taken a look at all the best players from past and present to select the ultimate Cricket XV! SQUAD NOTES https://t.co/B3rnj5OBuJ #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/KuUtPU77PT — All Blacks (@AllBlacks) June 2, 2019 And they’ve got some pretty cool reasons for picking some pretty cool players. Curtly Ambrose : If anyone wants to argue with this selection then take it up with Sir Curtly himself. We dare you. MS Dhoni : The Richie McCaw of Cricket. Enough said. Dwayne Leverock : Famous for his one-handed catch at the 2003 World Cup, the 130kg Bermudian would surely make just as big a splash on the rugby field. Jofra Archer runs in to bowl  Get...
Read more

Banned Bancroft's journey of self-discovery

Image
READ MORE © Getty Images Spanish lessons, yoga and a host of community work have all been part of the path taken by Cameron Bancroft since the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. The Australia batsman has been looking to seek the sort of perspective and self-knowledge that will prevent him from following the kind of instructions issued to him by David Warner in the Cape Town dressing room. Bancroft spoke in Perth on Saturday ahead of his return to cricket via Twenty20 and 50-over appearances in the Northern Territory, where he will also endeavour to work closely in developing local talent. It’s the next step on the path away from Newlands as Bancroft serves a nine-month ban from the game imposed by Cricket Australia under its code of conduct. Perspective on life was greatly needed as Bancroft, Warner and the former captain Steven Smith pondered what evolved in South Africa, and Bancroft said he had spent plenty of time devoting himself broadening his own knowledge and also to...
Read more

Drones to become the new naval mine hunters under Morrison pledge

Image
READ MORE Advanced navies worldwide are increasingly turning to drones to do mine hunting and clearing work at sea. Marcus Hellyer, a former Defence Department official and now a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that using autonomous and unmanned sea vehicles allowed the crewed ship to stay at the edge of a minefield, keeping naval personnel safer. The Morrison government has promised if re-elected to fast-track the building of two new mine hunting naval ships. Credit: Nine Newspapers “Common sense has prevailed,” he said of the decision. “Rather than keeping going down the path where you have old technology being extended at great cost, this will introduce new technology more quickly and that’s a good thing. “The current path does keep the human at the centre of the minefield, but the new approach lets them stay outside the minefield and let autonomous vehicles go in and do the dangerous work.” Article source: https:/...
Read more