In July 2020, the Australian Government responded to a Review of the Australian Product Stewardship Act 2011, (the Review) which provides the framework for effectively managing the environmental, health and safety impacts of products.55 It accepted all 26 recommendations.
Many have been either implemented or are in the process of being implemented by the Australian Government. They include:
• community and industry engagement that encourages the application of product stewardship to a broader range of materials and products
• reforming the Minister's Product List process to include new co-regulatory approaches to address groups that free-ride efforts of others in waste recycling, or where industry-led proposals are not forthcoming within set timeframes
• developing a central organisational source to create efficiencies across multiple schemes, encourage the creation of new schemes and assist with compliance and enforcement.56
It is important for the Australian Government to continue implementing the Review recommendations to further support and develop Australia's product stewardship framework.