The Labor Opposition is calling on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to ban single use plastic bags before the end of this year after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a ban last night leaving NSW as the only state failing to act. 

Recent announcements from Queensland, Western Australia and now Victoria joining South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and Northern Territory all moving to ban single use plastic bags have left NSW as the sole jurisdiction with an ongoing commitment to keep plastic bags. 

The facts on plastic bag pollution are stark:

• Every second, 159 single-use plastic bags are used in Australia – more than 10 million new bags each day.

• In NSW, up to 61 million bags are littered each year.

• More than 70 per cent of the rubbish entering our oceans is identified as plastic.

• Plastic kills up to one million sea birds, countless fish and 100,000 sea mammals each year. 

NSW Labor Leader Luke Foley has introduced a bill into the parliament to ban single use plastic bags that could be passed before the end of the parliamentary year. 

It is time for NSW to ban the bag. 

Quotes attributable to NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley 

“Gladys Berejiklian is now completely on her own. Not a single leader in the country agrees with her about plastic bags – and neither does the community. 

“The Premier must stand up today and announce a state wide ban on plastic bags. I’ve introduced a bill into the parliament - we could get this done before the end of the year. 

“It’s a no-brainer: plastic bags kill. They kill our wildlife, they kill turtles, dolphins, fish and birds, and they pollute the precious natural environment of our state.” 

Quotes attributable to Shadow Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe 

“The community is ready for this, corporate Australia is ready for this, yet the NSW Government is completely out of touch. 

“The decision not to act, a choice made by Gladys Berejiklian, will condemn her in the eyes of the community and cement her place as the greatest plastic polluter in Australia.”