The Waste Management Association of Australia has called on the major political parties to support the waste and resource recovery industry in their plans in the run-up to the Federal Election.
In an Industry Position Statement distributed today (24 May), WMAA calls on the political parties to recognise the value of the industry as an essential service and important driver of economic activity, which is worth around $14.2 billion to the Australian economy. The statement has been sent to Liberal Party, ALP, the National Party and the Greens politicians with portfolios that interlink with the waste and resource recovery sectors.
“In this election period, WMAA calls on the major parties to commit to the development of the waste and resource recovery industry, to ensure continued growth and contribution to the economy, the high standard of life we enjoy, and as a driver of jobs in the future, as we transition away from an economy centred on the mining industry,” says WMAA CEO Martin Tolar.
WMAA is petitioning for the Federal Government to convene an annual industry and government waste summit, with representation from Federal, state and local governments. It also calls for waste and resource recovery to be included as a standing agenda item at the Meeting of Environmental Ministers forum.
In its statement, WMAA also outlines several other issues that need to be addressed to enable and support the continued growth of the industry, including Improved cross portfolio coordination, consistency in regulatory frameworks and market instruments, and national leadership across green procurement policies, waste management infrastructure, and waste education.
The full statement is available through this link: WMAA Industry Position Statement (Federal Election 2016)