Dear Editor,
With the Victorian government becoming the latest state to move to ban single use plastic bags it is very disappointing that the NSW Liberal/National Government is now the lone state in Australia still refusing to address this type of plastic pollution.
Plastic contributes to 70% of the pollution in our oceans, our rivers and on our beaches. Millions of seabirds and hundreds of thousands of turtles, dolphins, seals and other sea mammals die every year as a result of ingesting plastic.
Over 90% of marine life now have plastic in their systems. Plastic is beginning to enter the food chain. In NSW 61 million plastic bags are littered every year. This week was an opportunity for NSW to take action however Labor’s bill to ban single use plastic bags was rejected by the Liberal and National Party MP’s.
In the past Liberal and National MP’s have stated their support for a ban. I urge them to redouble their efforts to gain support for a ban on plastic bags. If Labor is elected in 2019, we will take action to free our rivers, oceans, beaches, parks and wildlife from the pollution caused by plastic bags.
Yours sincerely
Penny Sharpe MLC
Shadow Minister for the Environment