LNP leader Deb Frecklington has criticised the state government for delaying the date of introducing the waste levy in Queensland until mid-2019 while increasing it to $75 per tonne.
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Earlier this year, an expected $70-per-tonne waste levy was set to be introduced, under a proposal the government insists will not have a direct cost for households, earlier next year.
The plan is aimed to stem the tide of New South Wales trucks coming across the border to dump thousands of tonnes of rubbish in Queensland landfills.
Ms Frecklington claimed the government was slugging Queenslanders even more with changes to the waste tax, claiming it was a "con job from the start".
“Labor is jacking up the cost of a tax they did not even take to the election, but dumped on Queenslanders in this year’s labor budget," she said.
“Queenslanders will now fork out $75 per tonne, instead of the $70 per tonne slug put forward when the bad tax was first announced by Labor.
“The tax should not have been forced on Queenslanders in the first place, and now Labor have bungled its introduction."
However, Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch said Queenslanders would not have to pay more to put out their wheelie bins every week, by providing advance payments to councils.
“Queensland used to have a waste levy, but it was recklessly scrapped by the LNP,” she said.
“This robbed Queensland of the opportunity to invest in recycling and other waste management industries, and created an influx of trucks dumping waste here from other states.
“They should just come out and admit that they plan to keep the levy.”
Ms Enoch said during consultation about the waste levy, stakeholders, including representatives from local councils had asked for a later start-date.
“After listening to the feedback, the Palaszczuk government has decided that it is in the best interests of Queenslanders for the waste levy to commence on 1 July 2019,” she said.
A date of levy increments was also proposed to move to July 1 each year.
“Delaying the start of the levy and changing the increment dates requires the government to adjust the waste levy rate to ensure we don’t fall further behind other states,” Ms Enoch said.
“As such, the levy rate will start at $75 per tonne, but importantly the first increase in levy rates will not be for 12 months.”
Ms Enoch said the waste management strategy was needed to increase recycling, improve investment in the sector and create new jobs.
“Queensland has one of the worst recycling rates in the country.," she said,
"Every year about 55 per cent of our waste is sent to landfill – that’s over 5 million tonnes.
"This amount of rubbish would fill the Gabba nearly 18 times.
“We need to change that by working with industry, local government and the community."
Ms Frecklington said delaying the start date exposed the waste tax for the scam it really was.
“Labor told Queenslanders the waste tax was needed urgently to fix a dumping crisis in Ipswich, but months and months have gone by and now the tax has been delayed," she said.
“This is not an urgent waste solution – it’s simply a blatant $1.3 billion tax grab.
“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, Labor’s solution is always tax, tax and more tax.
“Labor should scrap this tax immediately."
