Levies //
More government accountability and involvement is needed in Queensland’s waste sector.
What Queensland should do with its landfill levy monies IT’S a story that won’t go away and now Queensland is weighing in on the debate – waste levies – what they should be, who should benefit and how they are being distributed are contentious issues. In December 2020, the Waste Recycling Industry Association of Queensland (WRIQ) undertook the task of studying how each state government collects and reports on levy money and who benefits from grants. The results highlight concerning inequities with how the levy scheme is being delivered, especially in the Sunshine State, and the need for a more strategic approach to improve the waste and resource recovery metrics for the state. WRIQ CEO, Mark Smith, is concerned about Queensland’s waste and resource recovery metrics. “Queensland won’t reach our waste and recycling targets on our current path,” he said. “Our recent investigation identifies inequities to how the waste levy is approached in Queensland, and this could be contributing to that scenario.” 34
With the state government due to commence a levy efficacy review, Smith said he was keen to make sure the WRIQ was putting ideas on the table in addition to identifying inadequacies in the current approach “I believe we’ve taken an honest and open approach to this piece of work and socialised aspects of this work with key stakeholders over the past few weeks,” he said. WRIQ’s investigation was originally looking into levies and grants nationally but with COVID-19 impacts playing out differently across the country, it decided to focus on Queensland. On the topic of waste levy and government intervention to support resource recovery, Smith identified who is leading the pack. “There are some states that are clearly leading the way,” he said. “South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales are probably good examples, but Queensland is lagging. One of the reasons could relate to the annual payments to local councils, which I still struggle to process.” Smith was keen to point out that
INSIDEWASTE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022
the study is more about getting better outcomes as the state comes into a period discussing a review of levies. It is not about blaming government or councils not spending the money wisely, or as it was intended. He said there are several aspects to the study that have come to light in terms of how monies can be spent/allocated. Smith also pointed out that the review was not seeking to inform what future pricing of the levy should be. “It is not WRIQ’s place to advocate for a higher waste levy,” he said. “These are economic decisions which transcend our industry and will impact the economy and households. State governments should be making these decisions and also communicate these decisions to the public. That second part is often where there is room for improvement. We see our role in advocating for fairness in how the levy is applied, ensuring a level playing field and swift action on those seeking to undermine it.” Smith said there is a lot of research and reports out there already that advocate that state governments should seek to harmonise levies and
regulations to reduce illegal dumping and impacts affecting lower levy states. Decision makers need to read those reports, listen to the experts and make the right decisions, not take the easy way out. “It is WRIQ’s place to hold the government accountable to their current policy commitments; put forward new ideas or suggestions and call out things that undermine business and private sector confidence,” he said. “What business wants for Queensland is the same thing government wants; a thriving, successful sector that’s managing our waste and recycling needs safely, sustainability and equitably.”
Levy integrity and the regulatory framework WRIQ is advocating that more money needs to be put back into strengthening the regulator as well as investing in people and staff retention. Field officers carry out some of the most critical work in the sector but aren’t always supported. Recent work carried out by WRIQ shows that there is
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