South Australia puts pause on plastic fruit sticker ban after concerns over cost concerns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Environment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
South Australia has delayed the rollout of a nation-leading ban on plastic fruit stickers over fears the cost will be too much for farmers.
The state was set to become the first jurisdiction in the country to make the environmentally-friendly move in September, with NSW looking at a similar ban.
But the South Australian State Government has paused their rollout and now says both states will work together to save money, following concerns fruit and vegetable producers were doing it tough and the cost of new stickers would make it more difficult for them to continue to provide to SA markets.
Any fruit being imported into South Australia will need an eco-friendly sticker when the ban eventually comes into force.
'NSW already had a commitment that they would get rid of these plastic fruit stickers and move to compostable by 2030 — our discussion will be how much sooner than that can we go,' SA Environment Minister Susan Close said.
'We will be able to get rid of these (stickers) which, admittedly, everybody hates … but I didn't want to cause disruption in supermarkets for people wanting to buy products and I didn't want to cause too much harm to our local producers either.'
Laser etching is one way to display varietal and barcode information in an environmentally friendly way. Picture: NewsWire
The alternative to plastic fruit stickers are either compostable labels, uncoated paper stickers or laser etchings.
SA taking the lead to cut out plastic stickers meant farmers would be squeezed; compostable stickers are about twice the price, and any fruit sold in the state would need to adhere, regardless if it was grown interstate.
But the eco-friendly September 1 deadline will still bring anti-plastic changes.
From September in SA, plastic fish-shaped soy sauce bottles are banned, as are plastic cutlery and straws which come attached to food and drinks, such as straws on juice boxes.
South Australia was the first state to ban light weight plastic shopping bags, which came into effect in 2009; Victoria and then NSW were the last to follow suit, more than a decade later.
Originally published as South Australia puts pause to plastic fruit sticker ban over fears of extra cost to farmers
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
West Aussies sign up for solar battery rebate scheme before plan rolls out on Tuesday
More than 23,000 West Australians have registered their interest to install a solar battery in their homes before a scheme offering a $5000 rebate and interest-free loans has even opened. The State-Federal plan officially opens on Tuesday for up to 100,000 households, with West Aussies who have already registered their expression of interest also receiving an email with further details the same day. Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the strong interest showed many people saw the financial and environmental benefits of solar power. 'We have some of the biggest uptake of household solar of anywhere in the world,' Ms Sanderson said. 'There are times in our grid when it is run by 80 per cent of households' solar. 'We need households to be able to harness that energy and we need the system to be able to access that energy in the battery as well. That's why we have made this commitment to provide rebates to households.' Prior to the March State election, the Cook Government made a $387 million commitment to offer West Aussies the $5000 rebate to purchase and install a home battery, with regional households able to access up to $17,500. It was initially going to be made available to 20,000 homes across the State, along with a no-interest loan of $10,000. But this has now expanded to 100,000 households by hooking up with the Federal Government's Cheaper Home Batteries scheme, which will see successful applicants receive the $5000 rebate, with the State Government contributing $1300 per household. No-interest loans up to $10,000 for households with a combined annual income of less than $210,000 will also be provided, with loan repayments periods of up to 10 years. According to Government estimates, households can save about $1500 annually by installing a battery and solar panels. 'People should go to the WA Residential Rebate Scheme web page,' Ms Sanderson said. 'It contains all the information about how to apply for the rebates and the no-interest loans and how the scheme works. 'And there will be information on accredited battery retailers and installers, and approved products. Customers must choose from those accredited retailers and installers.' The average sized battery system costs around $10,000 to $12,000 to purchase and install.
West Australian
11 hours ago
- West Australian
West Aussies sign up for solar battery rebate scheme before plan rolls out on Tuesday
More than 23,000 West Australians have registered their interest to install a solar battery in their homes before a scheme offering a $5000 rebate and interest-free loans has even opened. The State-Federal plan officially opens on Tuesday for up to 100,000 households, with West Aussies who have already registered their expression of interest also receiving an email with further details the same day. Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the strong interest showed many people saw the financial and environmental benefits of solar power. 'We have some of the biggest uptake of household solar of anywhere in the world,' Ms Sanderson said. 'There are times in our grid when it is run by 80 per cent of households' solar. 'We need households to be able to harness that energy and we need the system to be able to access that energy in the battery as well. That's why we have made this commitment to provide rebates to households.' Prior to the March State election, the Cook Government made a $387 million commitment to offer West Aussies the $5000 rebate to purchase and install a home battery, with regional households able to access up to $17,500. It was initially going to be made available to 20,000 homes across the State, along with a no-interest loan of $10,000. But this has now expanded to 100,000 households by hooking up with the Federal Government's Cheaper Home Batteries scheme, which will see successful applicants receive the $5000 rebate, with the State Government contributing $1300 per household. No-interest loans up to $10,000 for households with a combined annual income of less than $210,000 will also be provided, with loan repayments periods of up to 10 years. According to Government estimates, households can save about $1500 annually by installing a battery and solar panels. 'People should go to the WA Residential Rebate Scheme web page,' Ms Sanderson said. 'It contains all the information about how to apply for the rebates and the no-interest loans and how the scheme works. 'And there will be information on accredited battery retailers and installers, and approved products. Customers must choose from those accredited retailers and installers.' The average sized battery system costs around $10,000 to $12,000 to purchase and install.
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Perth Now
‘Un-Australian': GST change set to cost $60bn
The 'worst policy change in the 21st' century is set to blow out the national budget by $60bn and keep one state in the black for years to come. The goods and services tax (GST) carve up was back in focus this week as state treasurers came out with their budgets. Queensland, NSW, Western Australia, and the ACT all delivered budgets, with one state standing above them all. Mining-rich WA is in the black, with costs tipped to come in at $2.5bn less than predicted spending. The rest, budget deficits. Western Australia has cashed in on changing GST rules. NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar Credit: NewsWire WA Treasurer Rita Saffioti used her speech to focus on the relative strength of the economy compared with other states while warning of an uncertain global outlook. 'This budget is about fortifying WA amid global shocks,' she said. Independent economist Saul Eslake argues that WA has achieved a surplus for the last seven years on the back of soaring GST revenue. 'Between 2016 and 2025, Western Australia essentially had the country by the shorts and they squeezed as hard as they could,' Mr Eslake told NewsWire. 'I call it the worst public policy decision of the 21st century.' So what changed for the WA government to achieve seven years of surplus. WHY IS WA THE LUCKY STATE? Much of WA's success comes back to two changes. The first was a change to the GST in 2018, with Mr Eslake arguing that the then Liberal federal government wanted to appease WA where it held an overwhelming majority of federal seats. Then treasurer Scott Morrison announced a review of Australia's horizontal fiscal equalisation (HFE) system, which determines the distribution of goods and services tax (GST) revenue among states and territories. Then treasurer Scott Morrison enacted the GST reforms. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia After a Productivity Commission inquiry, the system changed so that all states and territories received 70c for every dollar of GST raised in 2022-23. That figure increased to 75c a dollar in the new agreement, WA's GST share was 30 cents in the dollar. High iron ore prices at the time could have meant WA got just 15.6 cents of every dollar of GST raised. 'So what Morrison did was commission the Productivity Commission to do an inquiry into horizontal fiscal equalisation,' Mr Eslake said. 'The terms of reference for that were written in Mathias Cormann's office. It was a classic example of (fictional TV character) Sir Humphrey Appleby's advice that you never call an inquiry unless you know what it's going to say.' HFE's aim is to ensure that every state and territory should have an equal opportunity to provide public services. The key word is should, as states and territories are free to raise additional revenues how they please as well as fund their own state-based services. 'That principle is they are equalising the fiscal capacity of the states and territories,' Mr Eslake continued. 'And the point of that, it matters far less where you live when it comes to the quality of schooling your kids get, the quality of healthcare that you and your family get, the quality of policy or environment you get.' The price of iron ore stayed high. Rebecca Le May Credit: NCA NewsWire Mr Eslake used the example of the US, which does not have HFE, meaning different states have varying life outcomes. 'If we didn't have it, then Victorians and NSW people would have much better public services and pay lower taxes, all else being equal, than Tasmanians or South Australians,' Mr Eslake said. 'And I would argue, and traditionally most Australians have accepted, that's something that makes Australia a better and fairer place than America in particular.' The second major change for WA was the rise of China, or as Paul Keating famously said, the state got 'kissed on the a*se by a big Chinese rainbow'. This kissing, Mr Eslake argues, turned WA from being propped up into a donor state. '(In the early 2000s) WA got a bigger share of whatever federal grants were going around than they would have got if it was distributed equal per capita,' he said. 'Because the (Commonwealth) Grants Commission recognised that when gold was fixed at $35 an ounce, and iron ore was only trading at $20 a tonne and they weren't selling much of it, they couldn't raise much money for mineral oil fees, but they had a relatively high cost of providing services.' NSW used its budget to call out WA's share of GST. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia BUDGET BOTTOM LINE To get other states to support these changes, a no one is worse off provision was added, with the federal government topping up any shortfalls in GST revenues. This policy was also extended until 2029-2030 under the Albanese government. This NOWO provision turns a $9bn budget blow into a $60bn black hole. 'This is the biggest blowout in the cost of any single policy decision ever with the possible exception of the NDIS, which as (economist) Chris Richardson says is at least set up for a noble purpose,' Mr Eslake said. 'It's what is allowing Western Australia to run a budget surplus while everyone else, including the feds, are running a deficit. 'In the longer run, what it will mean is residents of Australia's richest state, WA, will have better public services and lower taxes than people who live in the eastern states, which I say is un-Australian.'
