[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":433},["ShallowReactive",2],{"active-categories":3,"blowouts":32,"story-\u002Fstories\u002Fplastic-recycling-australia-backflip":97,"related-\u002Fstories\u002Fplastic-recycling-australia-backflip":426,"surround-\u002Fstories\u002Fplastic-recycling-australia-backflip":427},[4,6,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,26,27,28,29,30,31],{"category":5},"government-waste",{"category":7},"follow-the-money",{"category":9},"cost-of-living",{"category":5},{"category":5},{"category":5},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":5},{"category":5},{"category":7},{"category":5},{"category":5},{"category":9},{"category":5},{"category":5},{"category":5},{"category":25},"policy-watch",{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":5},{"category":9},{"category":5},{"category":5},[33,43,53,62,70,79,89],{"path":34,"title":35,"category":5,"date":36,"blowout":37},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbom-website-96-million-one-year-on","One year on: the BOM website that cost $96.5 million, not $4 million","2026-10-24",{"project":38,"originalCost":39,"currentCost":40,"announced":41,"note":42},"BOM website",4100000,96500000,"2025","$4.1m was the figure first given to the public.",{"path":44,"title":45,"category":5,"date":46,"blowout":47},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcross-river-rail-cost-blowout-19-billion","Cross River Rail was sold as a $5.4 billion project. The government now says it costs $19 billion","2026-10-25",{"project":48,"originalCost":49,"currentCost":50,"announced":51,"note":52},"Cross River Rail",5400000000,19041000000,"2017","Queensland Government figure (Oct 2025). It includes 25 years of tunnel maintenance and network works; Labor disputes counting them.",{"path":54,"title":55,"category":5,"date":46,"blowout":56},"\u002Fstories\u002Fhunter-class-frigates-27-billion-three-ships","Hunter-class frigates: sold as nine warships for $35 billion. We're now paying $27 billion for three",{"project":57,"originalCost":58,"currentCost":59,"announced":60,"note":61},"Hunter-class frigates",35000000000,45600000000,"2018","2020 Force Structure Plan estimate for nine ships. The program is now six ships; close to $27bn is allocated for the first three, including the Osborne shipyard.",{"path":63,"title":64,"category":5,"date":46,"blowout":65},"\u002Fstories\u002Finland-rail-cost-blowout-45-billion-parkes","Inland Rail was sold as a $10.7 billion project. It now costs $45.6 billion, and stops at Parkes",{"project":66,"originalCost":67,"currentCost":59,"announced":68,"note":69},"Inland Rail",10660000000,"2015","Both P90 estimates for the full Melbourne to Brisbane line. Only Beveridge to Parkes is now being built.",{"path":71,"title":72,"category":5,"date":46,"blowout":73},"\u002Fstories\u002Fnorth-east-link-cost-blowout-26-billion","North East Link was sold as a $10 billion road. It now costs $26 billion",{"project":74,"originalCost":75,"currentCost":76,"announced":77,"note":78},"North East Link",10000000000,26100000000,"2016","Victoria's December 2023 estimate. Includes the Eastern Freeway and M80 upgrades added since.",{"path":80,"title":81,"category":5,"date":82,"blowout":83},"\u002Fstories\u002Frba-renovation-cost-blowout-1-2-billion","RBA renovation: a $260m office upgrade now costs $1.17bn","2026-11-04",{"project":84,"originalCost":85,"currentCost":86,"announced":87,"note":88},"RBA head office renovation (65 Martin Place)",259700000,1170000000,"2020","Approved by Parliament's Public Works Committee in March 2020. Current figure is the RBA's approved budget (September 2026 update).",{"path":90,"title":91,"category":5,"date":46,"blowout":92},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsnowy-2-0-cost-blowout-25-billion","Snowy 2.0 was sold as a $2 billion project. It could now cost $25 billion",{"project":93,"originalCost":94,"currentCost":95,"announced":51,"note":96},"Snowy 2.0",2000000000,22200000000,"Target cost. Up to $25bn with contingency; transmission not included.",{"id":98,"title":99,"author":100,"bigNumber":101,"bigNumberLabel":102,"blowout":103,"body":104,"category":25,"date":368,"description":369,"draft":370,"extension":371,"featured":370,"focusKeywords":372,"image":103,"imageAlt":103,"meta":376,"navigation":377,"path":378,"people":379,"readingTime":380,"refresh":103,"seo":381,"shareImage":103,"sources":382,"stem":419,"tags":420,"updated":103,"__hash__":425},"stories\u002Fstories\u002Fplastic-recycling-australia-backflip.md","Australia's plastic recycling backflip: rules shelved, recyclers collapse","Aussie Outrage","$20m","Federal grant committed to a plastics recycler that went into administration two years later",null,{"type":105,"value":106,"toc":356},"minimark",[107,120,125,137,144,155,165,169,176,183,186,189,193,205,215,226,232,236,243,246,261,264,271,282,292,296,299,305,308,312,323,333,337,343,346,349,353],[108,109,110,111,115,116,119],"p",{},"Plastic recycling in Australia was meant to get a guaranteed market. In 2023, federal, state and territory environment ministers agreed to make packaging contain recycled plastic. In August 2026, Environment Minister ",[112,113,114],"strong",{},"Murray Watt"," told recyclers it won't happen this term, and the government cited the cost of living. Three weeks later, a recycler promised a ",[112,117,118],{},"$20 million"," federal grant in 2024 went into administration.",[121,122,124],"h2",{"id":123},"what-was-promised","What was promised",[108,126,127,128,132,133,136],{},"The story starts with a ban. In March 2020, Australian governments agreed to stop shipping waste plastic overseas, and in December 2020, under the Morrison government, Parliament passed the ",[129,130,131],"em",{},"Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020",". According to the federal environment department (DCCEEW), exports of mixed plastics were banned in ",[112,134,135],{},"2021",", and unprocessed single-type plastics in 2022.",[108,138,139,140,143],{},"That left Australia's plastic to be recycled here. To give recyclers something to sell, environment ministers met on ",[112,141,142],{},"9 June 2023"," and agreed to mandatory packaging rules. A media release from then environment minister Tanya Plibersek said the rules would include \"mandatory packaging design standards and targets – including for recycled content\", to cut packaging waste.",[108,145,146,147,150,151,154],{},"In ",[112,148,149],{},"November 2023",", ministers agreed the Commonwealth would become the regulator: it would set how packaging is designed, set minimum recycled content requirements and ban harmful chemicals, according to the meeting's communique. Because the rules would cover imported packaging too, products sold here would have had to contain locally recycled content, PKN Packaging News reported in its coverage of ",[129,152,153],{},"60 Minutes",".",[108,156,157,158,160,161,164],{},"Recyclers took the government at its word. iQRenew's chief executive, Danny Gallagher, told Nine's ",[129,159,153],{}," (1 November 2026) that more than ",[112,162,163],{},"$26 million"," had been invested in its site at Kundle Kundle, near Taree, on the expectation the government would keep its commitment.",[121,166,168],{"id":167},"the-backflip","The backflip",[108,170,171,172,175],{},"At an Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) meeting in Canberra on ",[112,173,174],{},"12 August 2026",", Murray Watt told the industry the recycled content mandate would not go ahead this term, RenewEconomy reported. Attendees said he was apologetic and that the decision had come from higher up. One source told RenewEconomy the government didn't want cost increases to be \"weaponised by the Opposition\".",[108,177,178,179,182],{},"A department official confirmed it in an email on ",[112,180,181],{},"1 September 2026",", quoted by RenewEconomy: \"a new Commonwealth scheme for packaging will not be introduced in this term of Government.\" The ABC reported the department told stakeholders the government did not want to make cost-of-living pressures worse. The minimum standards had never been finalised, the ABC reported.",[108,184,185],{},"Watt said the government remains committed to \"delivering stronger environmental outcomes\", and that his \"immediate focus is to work with state and territory governments to reduce waste\", according to the ABC (8 September 2026). His office didn't answer the ABC's questions about what economic modelling the government had done on the cost of living.",[108,187,188],{},"Mike Ritchie of MRA Consulting told the ABC: \"It was a great surprise that Murray Watt then just said, 'too hard, we're not doing it in this term of government'.\"",[121,190,192],{"id":191},"what-it-would-have-cost-you","What it would have cost you",[108,194,195,196,201,202,204],{},"The government's reason was the ",[197,198,200],"a",{"href":199},"\u002Fstories\u002Faustralia-inflation-rate","cost of living",". Its own minister put the cost of the rules at about 50 cents a week. Asked on ",[129,203,153],{},", Watt said the modelling he'd seen showed increases of \"around the 50 cents a week mark, which I recognise is not very high\".",[206,207],"bar-chart",{":data":208,":decimals":209,"note":210,"source":211,"subtitle":212,"suffix":213,"title":214},"[{\"label\":\"MRA Consulting and APCO modelling\",\"value\":20},{\"label\":\"ACOR (at most)\",\"value\":30},{\"label\":\"Murray Watt, the modelling he has seen\",\"value\":50,\"highlight\":true}]","0","ACOR's figure is per household. The MRA and APCO figure is for a weekly shop of 60 packaged items at about 0.3 cents each. Watt did not say what his figure covers. The estimates use different methods.","Murray Watt on 60 Minutes, 1 Nov 2026 (via PKN Packaging News); ACOR (via PKN); MRA Consulting and APCO modelling (via ABC News, 8 Sep 2026)","Estimated extra cost of recycled-content rules, cents a week","c","Even the minister's own figure is 50 cents a week",[108,216,217,218,221,222,225],{},"At 50 cents a week, the rules would add ",[112,219,220],{},"about $26 a year"," (an Aussie Outrage calculation: 50 cents × 52 weeks). Independent MP Kate Chaney told the ABC that households already pay ",[112,223,224],{},"$70 to $95 a year"," in council rates for kerbside collection and clean-ups. \"The government points to cost of living, but the numbers don't support that,\" Chaney said.",[108,227,228,229,231],{},"ACOR's chief executive, Suzanne Toumbourou, was blunter on ",[129,230,153],{},": \"I don't buy that for a second.\"",[121,233,235],{"id":234},"the-recyclers-collapsing","The recyclers collapsing",[108,237,238,239,242],{},"Recycling Plastics Australia, based at Kilburn in Adelaide, went into voluntary administration on Monday ",[112,240,241],{},"31 August 2026",", with KPMG's Tim Mableson and Ned Swifte appointed, SmartCompany reported (2 September 2026). About 60 jobs in Adelaide are at risk, Packaging Gateway reported.",[108,244,245],{},"The company had been promised public money twice:",[247,248,249,256],"ul",{},[250,251,252,255],"li",{},[112,253,254],{},"$8.89 million"," in 2021, to upgrade sorting, washing and pelletising at Kilburn, according to Packaging Gateway",[250,257,258,260],{},[112,259,118],{},", announced on 16 July 2024, from the Recycling Modernisation Fund's $60 million Plastics Technology stream, for a $40 million project to divert more than 14,000 tonnes of soft plastics a year from landfill, according to the joint release from Plibersek and South Australia's Susan Close",[108,262,263],{},"That 2024 release also told South Australians the government was \"supporting soft plastics recycling by improving packaging design through new national packaging laws\". Those are the laws it has now shelved.",[108,265,266,267,270],{},"That's ",[112,268,269],{},"$28.89 million"," of public funding awarded to one company now in administration (an Aussie Outrage calculation from those two grants). It isn't public how much of the $20 million was paid before the collapse.",[108,272,273,274,276,277,281],{},"It isn't the only one. Gallagher told ",[129,275,153],{}," that half a dozen recyclers had gone into administration in the previous six to eight weeks. Raphael Geminder, chairman of packaging maker Pact Group, wrote on Pact's website on 3 September 2026 that \"at least five plastics recycling facilities have collapsed\" since ",[197,278,280],{"href":279},"\u002Fpeople\u002Fanthony-albanese","Anthony Albanese"," became Prime Minister. iQRenew put it this way, according to PKN: \"We're on our knees. We need packaging reform.\"",[108,283,284,285,287,288,291],{},"PKN Packaging News, reporting on ",[129,286,153],{},", said the shelved rules sat alongside a ",[112,289,290],{},"$130 million package"," to help recyclers scale up through the Recycling Modernisation Fund. The government's own figures are different: DCCEEW says the government has committed \"over $200 million\" to the whole fund, the Plastics Technology stream was announced as a $60 million stream in July 2024, and RenewEconomy put federal funding in the fund's plastics projects at about $137 million.",[121,293,295],{"id":294},"why-cheap-imported-plastic-wins","Why cheap imported plastic wins",[108,297,298],{},"New plastic is cheaper than recycled plastic. RenewEconomy reported that \"virgin plastic\", mostly imported, is cheaper than recycled material. A recycled-content rule would have made manufacturers buy local recycled plastic anyway.",[108,300,301,302,304],{},"\"Around 90 per cent of plastic that we use in this country comes in from overseas, so we have to recycle it here,\" Toumbourou told ",[129,303,153],{},". She told the ABC Australian recyclers face a \"vastly uneven playing field\" against cheap imports, and that without reform \"we will continue throwing away plastic packaging while importing more of it.\"",[108,306,307],{},"Australian plastic recycling plants run at around half their capacity on average, Toumbourou told the ABC.",[121,309,311],{"id":310},"plastic-recycling-in-australia-how-much-gets-recycled","Plastic recycling in Australia: how much gets recycled",[108,313,314,315,318,319,322],{},"Not much. In 2023-24, ",[112,316,317],{},"28%"," of rigid plastic packaging and ",[112,320,321],{},"9%"," of soft plastics were reused, recycled or reclaimed, according to the Australian Packaging Consumption and Recovery data, as reported by the ABC. Toumbourou told RenewEconomy only about 300,000 tonnes of plastic packaging are recycled each year, out of more than 1.3 million tonnes used.",[108,324,325,326,328,329,332],{},"National targets set in ",[112,327,60],{}," called for packaging to contain an average of ",[112,330,331],{},"50%"," recycled content, the ABC reported. Those targets were voluntary. In 2023, Plibersek's media release said: \"It's clear that voluntary targets and design guidelines aren't working.\"",[121,334,336],{"id":335},"whos-to-blame","Who's to blame?",[108,338,339,340,342],{},"The decision is the Albanese government's. Watt told ",[129,341,153],{}," the government had to weigh the environment and recyclers' viability against the cost-of-living pressures on shoppers. The department's email said the government wants reforms that balance \"environmental outcomes with the broader needs of the economy\", according to the ABC.",[108,344,345],{},"The critics come from all sides. Chaney called the decision \"deeply disappointing\", and fellow independent Sophie Scamps said the government had \"broken another promise\". Greens spokesperson Steph Hodgins-May said the government hadn't shown that cost is a barrier. Senator David Pocock called it \"a tragic lack of leadership and long-term thinking\", RenewEconomy reported.",[108,347,348],{},"The scheme was a promise made by Labor and agreed by every state and territory government. The export ban that created the need for it was agreed in 2020, when the Coalition was in government.",[350,351],"faq",{":items":352},"[{\"q\":\"Does Australia recycle plastic?\",\"a\":\"Some, but not much. In 2023-24, 28% of rigid plastic packaging and 9% of soft plastics were reused, recycled or recovered, according to Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation data reported by the ABC.\"},{\"q\":\"What happened to the recycled content mandate for packaging?\",\"a\":\"The federal government shelved it in 2026. Environment Minister Murray Watt told recyclers on 12 August 2026 that a Commonwealth packaging scheme with recycled-content rules won't be introduced this term. The government cited cost-of-living pressures.\"},{\"q\":\"What happened to Recycling Plastics Australia?\",\"a\":\"Recycling Plastics Australia went into voluntary administration on 31 August 2026, with about 60 Adelaide jobs at risk. The Kilburn company was promised a $20 million federal grant in July 2024, according to the federal environment minister's release, and $8.89 million in 2021, Packaging Gateway reported.\"},{\"q\":\"How much would recycled content rules cost households?\",\"a\":\"Murray Watt said the modelling he'd seen showed about 50 cents a week. ACOR says 30 cents a week per household at most, and MRA Consulting and APCO modelling put it at about 20 cents on a weekly shop of 60 items.\"},{\"q\":\"When did Australia ban plastic waste exports?\",\"a\":\"Australia banned exports of mixed waste plastics in 2021, and unprocessed single-type plastics in 2022, under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, according to the federal environment department.\"}]",[108,354,355],{},"The government banned plastic exports, paid recyclers to build plants, and promised them buyers for what they made. Then it kept the ban and dropped the rules that would have created the buyers.",{"title":357,"searchDepth":358,"depth":359,"links":360},"",2,3,[361,362,363,364,365,366,367],{"id":123,"depth":358,"text":124},{"id":167,"depth":358,"text":168},{"id":191,"depth":358,"text":192},{"id":234,"depth":358,"text":235},{"id":294,"depth":358,"text":295},{"id":310,"depth":358,"text":311},{"id":335,"depth":358,"text":336},"2026-11-06","Plastic recycling in Australia was promised rules forcing packaging to use local recycled plastic. Murray Watt shelved them. A $20m grant recipient collapsed.",false,"md",[373,374,375],"plastic recycling australia","recycled content mandate","recycling plastics australia administration",{},true,"\u002Fstories\u002Fplastic-recycling-australia-backflip",[],9,{"title":99,"description":369},[383,386,389,392,395,398,401,404,407,410,413,416],{"title":384,"url":385},"DCCEEW: Action on plastic waste (timeline of the waste export ban)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dcceew.gov.au\u002Fenvironment\u002Fprotection\u002Fwaste\u002Fpublications\u002Fplastics-timeline",{"title":387,"url":388},"DCCEEW: Waste exports","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dcceew.gov.au\u002Fenvironment\u002Fprotection\u002Fwaste\u002Fexports",{"title":390,"url":391},"Tanya Plibersek, media release: Environment Ministers step in to cut packaging waste (9 June 2023)","https:\u002F\u002Fminister.dcceew.gov.au\u002Fplibersek\u002Fmedia-releases\u002Fenvironment-ministers-step-cut-packaging-waste",{"title":393,"url":394},"Environment Ministers' Meeting, agreed communique (10 November 2023)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dcceew.gov.au\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002Fdocuments\u002Femm-communique-10-nov-2023.pdf",{"title":396,"url":397},"Tanya Plibersek and Susan Close, joint media release: New soft plastic recycling technology for South Australia (16 July 2024)","https:\u002F\u002Fminister.dcceew.gov.au\u002Fplibersek\u002Fmedia-releases\u002Fjoint-media-release-new-soft-plastic-recycling-technology-south-australia",{"title":399,"url":400},"DCCEEW: Investing in Australia's waste and recycling infrastructure (Recycling Modernisation Fund)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dcceew.gov.au\u002Fenvironment\u002Fprotection\u002Fwaste\u002Fhow-we-manage-waste\u002Frecycling-modernisation-fund",{"title":402,"url":403},"ABC News: Labor quietly shelves promise to mandate more recycled material in packaging (8 September 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.abc.net.au\u002Fnews\u002F2026-09-08\u002Flabor-broken-promise-on-plastic-recycling\u002F107125916",{"title":405,"url":406},"RenewEconomy: 'Why Whyalla and not us?' Recyclers say government backflip will trash millions invested in their industry (15 September 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Freneweconomy.com.au\u002Fwhy-whyalla-and-not-us-recyclers-say-government-backflip-will-trash-millions-invested-in-their-industry\u002F",{"title":408,"url":409},"Packaging Gateway: Recycling Plastics Australia enters administration (3 September 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.packaging-gateway.com\u002Fnews\u002Frecycling-plastics-australia-enters-administration\u002F",{"title":411,"url":412},"PKN Packaging News: Recycling crisis hits prime time, industry 'on its knees' (3 November 2026), on Nine's 60 Minutes, 'Wasted Opportunity' (1 November 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.packagingnews.com.au\u002Flatest\u002Frecycling-crisis-hits-prime-time-industry-on-its-knees",{"title":414,"url":415},"SmartCompany: Recycling Plastics Australia in administration despite plan to fill gap left by REDcycle (2 September 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.smartcompany.com.au\u002Ffinance\u002Frecycling-plastics-australia-voluntary-administration\u002F",{"title":417,"url":418},"Pact Group: The Government funded plastic recycling plants then walked away from laws needed to keep them alive (Raphael Geminder, 3 September 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fpactgroup.com\u002Fnews\u002Fthe-government-funded-plastic-recycling-plants-then-walked-away-from-laws-needed-to-keep-them-alive\u002F","stories\u002Fplastic-recycling-australia-backflip",[421,422,423,424,9],"plastic-recycling","packaging","broken-promises","south-australia","LVdG3I9rpo1FsNuKy0XDG1Obtd7b2-UyASM-hc1lQfs",[],[103,428],{"title":429,"path":430,"stem":431,"description":432,"children":-1},"ATO Adelaide office: $73.4m fit-out, 15 years after the last","\u002Fstories\u002Fato-adelaide-office-73-million-fit-out","stories\u002Fato-adelaide-office-73-million-fit-out","The ATO Adelaide office is moving from Franklin Street to Festival Tower 2, with a $73.4m fit-out. A Parliament committee wants the ATO's property audited.",1793886375505]