Industry Updates for Queensland's Waste Management and Materials Recovery Sector

Support for Retraining and Employing Staff

Are you thinking about hiring someone in the new year? You may be eligible for financial and additional support under the Back to Work Program.?The program is designed to give you the confidence to employ Queenslanders who have experienced a period of unemployment and help workers facing disadvantage in the labour market. Two types of payments are available under the Back to Work Incentives Payment program when you employ a worker from one of the following target groups,

1. Back to Work Support Payments of up to $15,000

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (minimum unemployment period of 8 weeks); people with disability (minimum unemployment period of 8 weeks); long-term unemployed people (minimum unemployment period of 52?weeks)?

2. Youth Boost Payments of up to $20,000

• young people aged 15-24 years (minimum unemployment period of 8 weeks)

The program is available to businesses throughout regional Queensland and in select areas of South East Queensland (SEQ). Approved Back to Work applicants can also access additional support to help you develop a successful, long-term working relationship with your employee.

Transport and Logistics Training Package Released

Transport & Logistics Training Package Release 14.0?has been endorsed by the Skills Ministers and released for implementation. Training products are now available on?training.gov.au. This included work on the Materiel & Deployment Logistics Project

Growing Queensland Business Roadshows

The Buy Queensland approach will underpin the procurement strategy for Brisbane 2032. This will ensure as many Queensland businesses as possible are part of the significant supply chain associated with the Games. To encourage businesses to get supply ready, the Growing Business Roadshow visited 12 locations in the last month?including Gold Coast, Mackay, Morayfield, Ipswich, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Logan, Bundaberg, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast. Register for Buy Queensland supplier updates to find out?how?your business can be involved in the Games.?

Consultations

Expanding Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme

On Tuesday the Minister for Environment and Science, the Honourable Meaghan Scanlon, announced the start of consultation on the proposal to expand the containers that are eligible for a refund under Queensland’s container refund scheme. The link to the public survey and the discussion paper is:?Proposal to expand the container refund scheme | Environment, land and water | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au).?Please also note that a cost/benefit analysis is currently being prepared and is anticipated for release in mid-January 2023.?Consultation closes on 20 February 2023.

Australia’s ReMade Brand

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water are working on a ReMade in Australia brand, which aims to promote Australian made recycled content products. ?A discussion paper seeking feedback on the brand’s design is now live on the department’s Have Your Say webpage. The paper outlines potential rules products would meet to be eligible for the brand, as well as key feedback the department has heard in consultations and our November 2022 workshop series on the brand. The discussion paper will be open for comment until COB 10 February 2023 and you can provide feedback by answering a short survey on the proposed rules or by responding to the paper with a written submission. Please send feedback to [email protected]

Queensland Department of Environment and Science - Review of Major and Minor Amendments

During public consultation on the Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment (EPOLA) Bill 2022, the Department of Environment and Science (the department) committed to review the non-statutory guideline Major and minor amendments (ESR/2015/1684) to provide further rigour and certainty around assessment level decisions for environmental authority amendment processes.?To inform this review, the Department are seeking your feedback on the aspects of the guideline that you consider unclear and may be leading to inconsistencies in departmental decision-making. We also encourage you to provide examples or scenarios to support your comments.??The focus of the guideline review will be on section 3 of the guideline which talks to assessment level decisions. However, there may be other sections of the guideline that may benefit from clarification, and you are invited to provide comments on these matters for consideration as part of this, or future potential review processes.?Should you wish to provide comments on the guideline, please email your written submissions to [email protected]?by?5pm on Monday 23rd January 2023.

Consultation open for Guarantee of Origin Scheme

Australia's proposed Guarantee of Origin Scheme will track and verify emissions from hydrogen and other products made in the country, as well as provide renewable electricity certification. The scheme is voluntary and aims to establish new markets for hydrogen and streamline the process for reporting emissions information. It will also support a variety of renewable energy claims, including for hydrogen GO certification or corporate renewable energy or emissions reduction claims. The scheme is open for public consultation until February 3, 2023.

Call for New End of Waste Codes

The Department of Environment and Science (DES) invites submissions about whether there is any particular waste for which an End of Waste (EOW) code should be prepared under the?Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011.?Submissions are invited to ensure that resources are targeted towards the development of EOW codes for which there is strong industry demand. To make a submission, complete the?Submission for proposed end of waste code submission form?(publication number ESR/2016/3304), which is available on the department’s website