Retailers bag environmental proposal

NATIONAL: The Australian Retailers Association has branded the government's latest proposal to phase out plastic bags as nothing more than "populist emotional rhetoric".

Minister for Environment, Heritage and Arts Peter Garrett is calling for plastic bags to be phased out by January 1, 2009. Minister Garrett was to consult with interested parties in the lead up to the Environment Protection and Heritage Council meeting on April 17, but the ARA said it had not been contacted for comment.

ARA executive director Richard Evans said Minister Garrett was placing an "increased burden" on Australian consumers, who were already struggling under interest rate rises and increased petrol prices. He said the ARA did not agree with legislation or increased taxes, with the consumer ultimately paying the price.

"What the ARA wants is leadership and further dialogue on this very important issue, not populist rhetoric and the heavy hand of legislation about plastic carry bags," he said. "Retailers have been leading on this issue for over six years and the proposed ban is just more emotional rhetoric and populist politics."

Evans said the Productivity Commission had already warned against the dangers of non-targeted solutions such as bans taxes and levies, with an estimated economic cost of approximately $1 billion. He said it had proposed more targeted and effective solutions and had left plastic bag use where it is the best option.

"The issue here is not about the availability of plastic bags, it is about litter management," he said. "Consumers need to take greater responsibility of how they reuse and dispose of plastic bags. It's a litter issue."