- Polling finds 63% of voters want mandatory packaging laws to replace voluntary targets, rising to 70% amongst Labor voters
- Voters across political spectrum support strengthened national packaging laws
- Today's parliamentary hearing into national packaging laws must spark action from Albanese Government that committed to reforming packaging laws in 2022
- Packaging is now the most common litter in Australia
Australians from all across the political spectrum strongly back action on unnecessary packaging, according to polling conducted by YouGov that was commissioned by the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS). Nearly two thirds (63%) of Australian voters support mandatory packaging laws to replace failed voluntary targets, with support rising to 70% amongst Labor voters.
The poll also finds 67% of voters expect Australian law to limit how much packaging can be used on a product, with 20% unsure and only 13% not expecting limits through national laws. This support is sustained across the majority of Labor (70%), Coalition (66%), Greens (84%), One Nation (58%) and independent (74%) voters.
Nine in 10 (89%) voters think Australia should take action to limit its reliance on imported single-use plastic packaging, and 62% support the companies that produce and sell packaged products being responsible for their packaging waste, including the cost of collection and disposal.
In 2022, Australia's environment ministers committed to reforming packaging regulation. Nearly four years on, no laws have been delivered. The federal government's own 2024 consultation reached the same conclusion - more than 80% of respondents supported Commonwealth regulation of packaging.
Packaging is the single most common litter in Australia, making up 60% of litter found in the country. Food and drink packaging is now the world's most common type of coastal plastic pollution according to a recent global study.
AMCS Plastic Campaigns Manager Cip Hamilton said: "It's clear that Australians have had a gutful of unnecessary packaging and want laws that stop pollution at the source, not another decade of voluntary promises that industry can ignore.
"The Albanese Government promised in 2022 to deliver much-needed national packaging laws. Four years on, we're all still waiting.
"The Albanese Government must introduce strong new national packaging laws that support reuse, ban wasteful packaging, and include a mandatory extended producer responsibility scheme. Every day the government delays, the more unnecessary packaging ends up polluting our beaches and ocean.
"The inaugural Unpackit Awards announced earlier this month shone a light on the worst packaging in the country, showing the need for strong national packaging laws to curb pollution and waste. The awards also showcased Aussie businesses that already have reusable solutions to overpackaging, but they need government support through strong national packaging laws to scale up.
"The overproduction of plastic, including plastic packaging, is one of the greatest threats to our coasts and ocean. Plastic pollution entangles, starves, smothers and poisons marine life and harms their habitats. Once in the ocean, plastic breaks up into microplastics and is almost impossible to recover. Sea turtle hatchlings have been found with hundreds of plastic fragments in their guts and corals are 20 times more likely to be diseased after contact with plastic."
