Opposition calls for further extension of plastic ban implementation date

Opposition Spokesperson on the Environment, Senator Sophia Frazer-Binns, is calling for the government to consider further extending the implementation date for the next phase of the plastic ban to allow for greater public education and stakeholder engagement on the measure.

The ban on plastic lunch boxes and personal-care products with microplastics should have started this month, but has been pushed back to July 1.

However, Frazer-Binns in a media statement today said a further extension would allow all stakeholders to properly prepare themselves. 

"The Opposition unequivocally supports the ban, however it has considerable challenges in how it is being undertaken by the government," she says. 

She asserts that the government has not learnt from its mistakes in the first phase, when she says many people, both consumers and businesses, were unprepared. 

Frazer-Binns argues that several businesses which will be impacted have stated their lack of knowledge about their options and the Government has a duty to create a framework where the ban is least disruptive to businesses and individuals.

“The extension should not be an end in itself but must be accompanied by targeted public education and engagement, including the sharing of information as many consumers are still unaware of the personal care products which contain intentionally added plastic microbeads or microplastics,” Frazer-Binns says. 

- Jenecia Smiley

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