North Queensland Mayors voice concerns about State Government Waste Levy

Please see below NQROC Media Release, published 22 October 2018. 

North Queensland Mayors have called for changes to the State Government’s proposed Waste Levy currently set to take effect on 4 March 2019. 

North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NQROC) Chairperson and Mayor of Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughlin said it was important for regional councils to raise their concerns about the new Waste Levy.

“NQROC members remain concerned about the impact of the proposed waste levy on our communities. We are asking the Government to listen to our concerns.  In our recent submission on the Waste Levy, North Queensland Councils made nine recommendations for change and we hope our submission is successful Government” Mayor McLaughlin said.

The NQROC submission calls on the State Government to change the levy implementation date to 1 July 2019 so it aligns with the commencement of the new financial year.  It also recommends the introduction of a differential levy rate system in line with New South Wales and Victoria where rates for metropolitan and regional areas vary. Alternatively, a specific regional subsidy scheme to cover the hidden costs of the Waste Levy should be introduced.

“The need to transport waste to distant recycling markets is one of the hidden costs of the Waste Levy for regional councils.  It’s less expensive for the larger Metropolitan Councils who have recycling facilities close to them, however transportation costs are a huge issue for regional and rural communities.  We need a cheaper levy for the regions or the Government must assist with the cost of transporting our waste to other parts of the state.”   Mayor McLaughlin said.

Mayor McLaughlin said another significant NQROC recommendation related to how the Waste Levy Zone is determined and called for Charters Towers Regional Council and Hinchinbrook Shire Council to be removed from the proposed Waste Levy Zone. 

“Right now population is the only criteria for determining if you are in the Waste Levy Zone.  Regional economies are more complex than that and it is our view other factors like local economic conditions and financial sustainability should also be considered.” Mayor McLaughlin said. 

NQROC Deputy Chair and Mayor of Charters Towers Councillor Liz Schmidt said Charters Towers Regional Council was a perfect example of why a population only approach doesn’t work.

“Charters Towers Regional Council is just over the Waste Levy population threshold, so we are included in the Waste Levy Zone. This ignores the fact that the number of people we provide waste services for is much less than the actual population.  We have a large number of rural properties covering an area the size of Tasmania who deal with their own waste.   

“Then there are the costs of waste management for townships like Balfes Creek, Homestead, Pentland, Greenvale, Hervey Range, Sellheim, Mingela and Ravenswood. Waste costs for these towns are already heavily subsidised by Council and are unlikely to ever be self-sustaining.  A waste levy just adds a greater financial burden which means more cost for our communities.   We aren’t like the larger Councils of South East Queensland but the Government doesn’t seem to realise that.” Ms Schmidt said.

Mayor of Hinchinbrook Shire Council, Councillor Ramon Jayo also expressed concerns about the population only approach to the waste levy zone.

“Hinchinbrook’s commercial and agricultural sectors are struggling financially due to the downturn in the sugar industry. The requirement to pay a waste levy on top of existing waste fees will over burden small business and result in significant adverse impacts to the local economy. This levy, if introduced in its current format, will cripple small regional economies.  According to the latest census, we are only 885 people over the population threshold and our population is declining.”

NQROC members have appealed to the State Government to listen to their concerns.

NQROC member Councils include Burdekin Shire Council, Charters Towers Regional Council, Hinchinbrook Shire Council, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council and Townville City Council.