// Policy
adoption of secondary resource thinking;
mitigate the risks of environmental
pollution and harm to human health;
move waste treatment and management
opportunities up the waste hierarchy; and
provide new business and employment
opportunities for all Territorians.
To get there, five plans have
been developed around regulation,
procurement and social enterprise
participation, market strategy and
development, resource recovery, and
emergency waste preparedness.
“NT is still, in many ways, 20 years
behind in practice compared to the rest
of Australia. It has a long way to go.
But if you have a political awareness to
genuinely have a discussion with the
business community, government, and
industry, you’ll get a level of change,”
Ralph said.
“NT is really lacking in the fundamentals
because the current government does not
get it in a political context.”
The first thing that needs to be tackled,
according to Ralph, is regulation because
this open pit mentality has to go.
Ralph hopes that the territory will
follow in Queensland’s footsteps and
regulate or re-regulate the sector
and WRINT wants to be part of
that discussion.
“We have advocated regulation in
Queensland and will have a conversation
with the government on July 18. The
Queensland government has genuinely
listened and now, they are going to
re-regulate certain things that the
previous government deregulated as a
result of what we advocated. Reforms
in Queensland, whilst not perfect,
resulted in the Waste Recycling Industry
Association, Queensland (WRIQ) putting
forward cohesive, cognitive arguments.
The government listened and all we
can hope for are for those types of
conversations in the NT,” he said.
“You’ve got to have regulatory structure,
discipline, high-level policy drive for what
you want to achieve, and then you look at
the instruments to get there.
“But the first thing is to be invited
to the table. The EPA and its officers
are going to invite you but the political
willingness [in NT] is fundamentally
missing. The situation was similar in
Queensland but now, politicians are
engaging business so that makes our
exercise easier to get across the line.”
Holding parties accountable
Ralph is not impressed with how the
current government has responded
to the sector. For one, it has taken
more than six months for the Minister
of Environment to respond after
Weekly news updates at www.BEN-global.com/waste
receiving the EPA’s 2015-2022 waste
management strategy and what he
came back with were three paragraphs
simply thanking the EPA for its efforts
and general statements around working
with the regulator to improve the
territory’s waste management system.
“You really have to question the
government’s authenticity in taking
this seriously. It doesn’t give you any
business confidence,” Ralph said.
But WRINT is still keen to work with
government – whichever party takes the
reins come August 26 when Territorians
head to the polls – and said it remains
focussed, as it did and continues to be
in Queensland, and will work with both
sides of the political divide.
“WRINT is preparing a manifesto for
the political parties and post-elections,
we will advocate their responses, meet
with the ministry, meet with the new
executives and discuss how we should
move forward,” Ralph said.
“Our demand up there will be a
formal response from both parties to our
manifesto, we certainly want to see what
they’ll do about getting genuine policy
into a business portfolio, not with the
regulator. I think they’re the two critical
drivers because one will feed the other.
“Frankly, if the Country Liberal
Party returns, the industry will have a
NT’s waste management, in a political
context, generally has very little substance:
Ralph.
great challenge because the current
government is not genuine in addressing
the issues. The Opposition certainly
understands the links between better
outcomes and strong waste management
and recycling initiatives,” he added.
“I just hope that whichever side
gets in, it will take a good look at the
document and say, there’s some really
good stuff in there, we need to listen
to industry and let’s get on with it. But
I’m sceptical of the political process.
No one has demonstrated any real
desire to truly engage at this point.”
Whoever wins the elections, we can
be sure that WRINT will hold the party
accountable to its response to the
iw
association’s manifesto.
AUGUST 2016 INSIDEWASTE
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