The Bundaberg Region has joined with six other communities to call for an urgent rethink to the rollout of the Queensland Government Waste Levy.
The new charges which are being introduced by the 2025/26 financial year will be imposed on the Rockhampton, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Fraser Coast communities and will drive up waste costs and charges across the regions.
Mayors from across the seven regions have written to Treasurer David Janetzki and Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell, calling for an urgent rethink to the plans with only three weeks to go before the charges start to be imposed.
The Mayors are calling for a collaborative approach to develop industry in the regions and identify and develop waste diversion and resource recovery solutions prior to the waste tax changes.
This will be the first time the charges will be imposed on these communities after rebates and top-ups were previously provided to support local communities during the cost of living crisis and while government and councils work towards maturing the waste industry in the regions.
The impact of the charges will also increase every year to 2030 with ratepayers seeing higher and higher waste costs, fees and charges.
The impact on individual communities include:
| LGA | Annual tax charge across LGA in 2030 | Cumulative LGA impact over 6 years |
| Rockhampton | $2.9 million | $11.5 million |
| Cairns | $7.2 million | $25.7 million |
| Townsville | $8.0 million | $29.8 million |
| Mackay | $3.8 million | $16.7 million |
| Gladstone | $2.3 million | $9.5 million |
| Bundaberg | $4.0 million | $15.7 million |
| Fraser Coast | $5.8 million | $23.9 million |
Total impact over six years: $132 million
Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Helen Blackburn said fixing longstanding challenges in the waste sector off the backs of regional communities was not on.
“The last few years have been really tough with many families feeling real and significant cost pressures,” she said.
“To now have these charges added to that without achievable, cost-effective pathways to waste diversion or reduction, it will hit Bundaberg families right in their hip pocket.
“I’m urging the State Government to come to the table and work with us, not penalise our communities.
“We need them to act and act now.”
Rockhampton Regional Council Mayor Tony Williams said the new waste tax charges would have a big impact on local ratepayers and communities.
“We know that the waste sector needs to change and we want to work with the Government to mature industry and develop offset and diversion solutions,” he said.
“But taking first and giving later will only leave our communities to bear the brunt of the waste tax and push families to the brink.
“I don’t want this and surely the Government doesn’t either. So we are making this plea – work with us to invest and reform and rethink the introduction of these new charges.”
Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson said the clock was ticking.
“We need the Treasurer, the Minister and our local MPs to step in and restore the rebates to save our communities wearing hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax charges,” he said.
“I acknowledge that the Government has put up some funding to help support new initiatives and that’s welcomed but it doesn’t change the fact that we are looking down the barrel of some very significant cost increases for Mackay residents thanks to this change.
“We’re saying work with us and let’s get some solutions in place that offsets or diverts waste to avoid the impact. Then let’s see where we are.
“But just dropping these new charges out in May and have them start 1 July just doesn’t sit right.”
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I think the council is just doing this to make it harder for families and for the owners of the houses. They’re not thinking of what’s going to do to families with the cost of living and everything. It’s just another added stress to come up with more money from families And the waste management and the the mayor are all just thinking of bringing in more money not thinking of families that are doing it tough for one thing. This is just total disgusting that they’re going to do this to families and people in crisis and yet they can’t even build more houses for the homeless. We’re now in winter And it can’t be nice sleeping out in the cold.
I think a delegation of Qld councils travel overseas and see how it’s done properly and then bring some ideas back to state and federal government
So goods we are forced to buy are increasingly poorly produced and do not last as long. Yet we are penalised when we have to dispose of these goods due to failure and poor manufacture. It’s a merry go round where the citizens pay and the corporates prosper; rinse and repeat. Average citizens are on a hiding to nothing.
In Miller street we are 12 units, 1 – 3 Bedrooms, half are holidays. Each unit pays a full big house. Even if the bins are empty for month.
Millerstreet, unit 6
I agree with David Smith re cost of disposal of worn-out products falling to end consumers. In my working life as an electrical repairer, I have seen the wind-down of repairing tools to throw-away, due to cheap manufacture. I believe the onus of disposal and recycling of worn-out products, (not just electrical) should fall on retailers and importer/suppliers rather than the end user.
If we try we can miminise cost of recycling to the public as well.
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If worn out items are made out of metal they can be sold or given to Shaw’s recycling. Shaw’s will even take refrigerators. You can also give some items to charity if they are still working ok. Sometimes a item is fixable as well I’d highly recommend Digger Thiele & Waldo’s Mower Doctor they do a excellent job.
Officeworks has a drop off service as well for recycling as you enter near the checkout.
You can also sell items directly to the public or pawn brokers before they wear out completely if you suspect the item still has some usable life.
When getting new items many companies will take the old items away as part of there delivery service greatly reducing hassle.
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If you don’t need to take these items to the tip it may even save you money.