Senator Brown asked the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, upon notice, on 2 March 2004:

(1) (a) What was the expenditure on the product stewardship arrangements for waste oil as at the end of the 2002-03 financial year; (b) what is the planned total expenditure for the program; and (c) can forward estimates be provided for all future program years.

(2) (a) As at the end of the 2002-03 financial year, how much waste oil had been recycled as a result of the product stewardship arrangements for waste oil; and (b) what proportion of the total amount of waste oil produced during that period does this represent.

Senator Ian Macdonald (Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) —The Minister for the Environment and Heritage has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) (a) There are two components to the expenditure on the product stewardship arrangements for waste oil; the transitional assistance funds, and the product stewardship benefits. Cumulative expenditure at the end of 2002-03 was $ 12.730 million, and $20.676 million, respectively.

(b) The planned total expenditure for the transitional assistance element of the program is $34.5 million. In respect to the benefit payments paid by the Australian Taxation Office, there is no total planned expenditure as the program is ongoing.

(c) The forward estimates for future years for the transitional assistance element of the program are: $6.9million for 2004-05; $6.8 million for 2005-06; and $5.8 million for 2006-7. The forward estimates for the product stewardship benefits are; $15.9 million for 2004-05; $19 million for 2005-06; $21 million for 2006-07; and 24 million for 2007-08.

(2) (a) The total amount of waste oil recycled as a result of product stewardship arrangements at the end of the financial year 2002-03 was 446.7 million litres.

(b) Based on figures contained in a recent review by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, to the end of financial year 2002-03, the proportion of total oil recycled under the scheme against total oil produced was 34%. The proportion of oil recycled against total oil that is potentially recoverable was 66%. Only 52% of total oil produced is potentially recoverable.