Labor to ‘eliminate’ plastic water bottles on beaches

Labor is wooing environment-conscious voters with a $3 million package to stop single-use plastic bottles ending up on Australian beaches.

Coffs Harbour June 30th 2015Marine Science University Student Kelsey Bannister shares the concerns of the greater Marine Science community of the alarming risk to marine life due to the huge numbers of plastic bottles washing up on North Coast New South Wales at beaches such as Wooli Beach.Please note - This photo taken near the Marine Sciene Centre, Charlesworth Bay Coffs Harbour.Photo Frank Redward

Labor will spend $3 million to rid Australia’s beaches of single use plastic water bottles if they win the next election.

The “Clean Our Oceans Program” will partner with beach surf clubs to install up to 600 water refill stations and provide 600,000 reusable water bottles to kids learning how to swim.

Opposition environment spokesman Tony Burke said single use plastics were “polluting our pristine beaches and choking our marine wildlife.”

“A Shorten Labor Government is committed to tackling the issue of plastic pollution on our beaches and in our oceans,” he said today.

“Single use plastics, including PET water bottles, are some of the most wasteful and environmentally damaging products, with thousands of them ending up in our oceans every day, polluting our pristine beaches and choking our marine wildlife.

“Labor knows that the time to act to protect our oceans is critical now more than ever.

“The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government has put our oceans and marine life under threat by cutting the Marine Park network in half and giving supertrawlers access to the Coral Sea.”

The $3m over four years will be part of a broader suite of labor environmental protection policies including a $200m policy to clean urban rivers and intercept storm water and plastic waste before it makes it to the ocean.