“Western Australia will participate in a voluntary National Pollutant Inventory pilot program as a practical way to develop a national approach that is efficient for business,” said WA environment minister Judy Edwards at a Darwin meeting of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council.

“It is time the Federal Government redirected its efforts from sabotaging international co-operation on this issue. Instead, the Commonwealth should begin to work with the states and territories to take the steps needed to protect our economy and our environment for the long term.”

In order to form policy, Edwards said substantiative information was required as to where emissions were originating and what steps were being taken to reduce them.

“Australia needs a single, comprehensive national framework for greenhouse emissions reporting that provides reliable information to governments and the public and which can provide the basis for future national policy,” she said.

“A national reporting framework also will support the development of a national emissions trading scheme as described in the communiqué recently released by the States and Territories.”

Edwards also said WA would take steps to increase the recycling level of mobile phones and batteries, but called for a national awareness of the issue.

“A nationally-based approach that involves the mobile phone industry fits in with the State Government’s moves for extended producer responsibility, whereby manufacturers’ environmental responsibilities do not end when the product is handed over to the customer,” said Dr Edwards.

“The Government released a discussion paper on this topic last December and currently is finalising a position to develop the necessary mechanisms to support such a scheme in WA.”