❓ A WA parliamentary question probes the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) regarding public access to consultation reports, barriers to increasing the refund value, recovery rates, international comparisons, marketing expenditure, revenue, and stakeholder influence. The government's response addresses each point, highlighting national consistency and the role of WARRRL.

(1) A public consultation on the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) closed on 30 June 2023, and I ask:(a) will the resulting report, including all recommendations, be made available to the public:(i) if no to (1)(a), why not?(2) Given that the refund value has remained at 10 cents per container nationally since December 2008, and 10c since the scheme was introduced in WA, I ask:(a) what barriers—financial, regulatory, or otherwise—exist to increasing the container deposit in Western Australia; and(b) has the Government undertaken modelling or analysis on whether increasing the refund value per container would improve container recovery rates in Western Australia?(3) What is the Government’s current estimate of the overall recovery rate for CDS-eligible containers in Western Australia?(4) Has the Government assessed international CDS models, including jurisdictions such as Germany, where both refund value and recovery rates are higher?(5) Over the last financial year:(a) how much funding has been allocated to marketing and public promotion of the CDS; and(b) how much revenue has been recovered through returned containers under the scheme?(6) Do beverage companies and the National Retail Association have representation on, or input into, the Container Refund Advisory Group:(a) if yes to (6), what role do these stakeholders play in advising on or influencing the container deposit amount; and(b) how does the Government manage potential conflicts of interest within this advisory process? (1) A public consultation on the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) closed on 30 June 2023, and I ask: (a) will the resulting report, including all recommendations, be made available to the public: (i) if no to (1)(a), why not? (2) Given that the refund value has remained at 10 cents per container nationally since December 2008, and 10c since the scheme was introduced in WA, I ask: (a) what barriers—financial, regulatory, or otherwise—exist to increasing the container deposit in Western Australia; and (b) has the Government undertaken modelling or analysis on whether increasing the refund value per container would improve container recovery rates in Western Australia? (3) What is the Government’s current estimate of the overall recovery rate for CDS-eligible containers in Western Australia? (4) Has the Government assessed international CDS models, including jurisdictions such as Germany, where both refund value and recovery rates are higher? (5) Over the last financial year: (a) how much funding has been allocated to marketing and public promotion of the CDS; and (b) how much revenue has been recovered through returned containers under the scheme? (6) Do beverage companies and the National Retail Association have representation on, or input into, the Container Refund Advisory Group: (a) if yes to (6), what role do these stakeholders play in advising on or influencing the container deposit amount; and (b) how does the Government manage potential conflicts of interest within this advisory process?

(1) (a) No. A consultation summary from 2023 has not been published. (i)           On 10 September 2025, the Government announced its decision to proceed with the expansion as proposed in the discussion paper, commencing 1 July 2026. (2) (a) Any decision to amend the nationally consistent 10 cent refund amount would be done in consultation with other Australian jurisdictions operating a container deposit scheme. (b) Any cost benefit analysis on amending the nationally consistent refund amount would need to be undertaken in conjunction with all Australian jurisdictions. (3)        The independent not-for-profit scheme coordinator, WA Return Recycle Renew Ltd (WARRRL) has forecast a return rate of 66 per cent for the 2025-26 financial year. (4)        Yes. (5) (a) The WARRRL Budget for the 2024-25 financial year included an allocation of $10.2 million for marketing and communications. (b) In the 2024-25 financial year WARRRL received $20.6 million in revenue from containers sold through auction or direct contract to offset scheme costs. (6)        No. There is no Container Refund Advisory Group.