Legislative Council, Tuesday 3 May 2022

Ms FORREST question to DEPUTY LEADER of the GOVERNMENT in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Ms PALMER

With regard to the commitment for the Government that King Island, West Coast and Flinders Councils, as recorded in Hansard during the second reading of the Waste and Resource Recovery Bill 2021 Minister Jaensch stated:

“We also acknowledge the unique circumstances of King Island and Flinders and West Coast Councils. It is the Government’s expectation that these councils will participate in the Levy under special arrangements that ensure they are net beneficiaries of the levy, to assist them to invest in waste management options that help overcome the disadvantages of remoteness and scale faced by these communities”

I ask the Honourable Leader to clearly describe the process by which these three Councils will be net financial beneficiaries from the imposition of the waste recovery levy that I understand they will still be charged including the processes for:

1. changing the fee;

2. the recovery of costs to achieve the net beneficiary outcome; and

3. reporting to clearly demonstrate how at least 100% of the levy paid has been returned to the Council?

ANSWER:

The landfill levy will apply to the King Island, Flinders Island and West Coast Councils the same as any other entity. By “net beneficiary” we mean these remote councils will receive more than 100% of the funds they pay into the levy, on application through the grants process. It is important that these Councils participate in the levy, so that they can benefit from it.

We aim to support the three Councils so that they can run an efficient and effective system and receive an additional return, that allows them to invest in waste management options that help overcome the disadvantages of remoteness and scale.

The Minister has stated he intends to use the Section 14 power under the Act to direct the Board to run this scheme in a way that supports this outcome for remote Councils.

The specifics of how this will be achieved will be finalized through further discussions with the remote Councils in the coming months, and in collaboration with the Board once they are established.
In relation to transparency of reporting, the Board will produce an annual report – with audited financial statements – each year, and the Minister will table that document in the Parliament.