[Greens-Media] Productivity Commission should have recommended a plastic bag levy- Brown

[Bennett, Ebony (Sen B. Brown)]

Tuesday, 23 May 2006

Productivity Commission should have recommended a plastic bag levy-
Brown

The Productivity Commission's call for the government to ditch plans to
wipe out plastic bags is a distraction from the real issue, Greens
leader Bob Brown said today.

"The Productivity Commission is presenting an extreme solution as the
only solution and it's not. A levy, rather than a complete a complete
ban on plastic bags is the best solution," Senator Brown said. 

"Instead of a voluntary agreement with supermarkets, which has failed,
Australia should follow Ireland's successful introduction of a small
levy on plastic bags."

"The Productivity Commission claims that only 1% of plastic bags end up
as litter per year, but that translates to 60 million plastic bags on
the side of the road, in our waterways and polluting our environment
unnecessarily," Senator Brown said.

Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603



--------------------------------------------------------------
Ebony Bennett
Media Adviser
Office of Greens Senator Bob Brown
Mobile: 0409 164 603
Ph: (02) 6277 3170
Fax: (02) 6277 3185
ebony.bennett at aph.gov.au