Microbeads Annihilation Act 2019

2019

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Presented and read a first time

Microbeads Annihilation Bill 2019

No. 1212, 2019

Written by imnofox MP

Drafted by Tobycool2001_1

A Bill for an Act to prohibit the sale and manufacture of wash-off products containing microbeads, and for related purposes.

Contents

Part 1 - Preliminary

1 Short title………………………………………….………………………………..2

2 Commencement…………………………………..…………..………….................2

3 Act to Bind the crown……………………………………………………………....3

4 Definitions………………………………………………………………………….3

Part 2 - Provisions

5 Person must not sell or manufacture prohibited wash-off products...……………...4

A Bill for an Act to prohibit the sale and manufacture of wash-off products containing microbeads, and for related purposes.

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

Part 1—Preliminary

1 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Microbeads Annihilation Act 2019.

2 Commencement

1. Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provision(s)	Commencement	Date/Details
1. The whole of this Act	The day the Act receives Royal Assent

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3 Crown to be bound

This Act binds the Crown in all its capacities.

4 Definitions

In this Act:

microbead means a water-insoluble plastic particle that is less than 5 mm at its widest point

prohibited wash-off product means a wash-off product that contains microbeads used for the purpose of:

1. exfoliating a person’s body;

2. cleaning of a person’s body;

3. abrasive cleaning of any area, surface, or thing; or

4. enhancing of the visual appearance of the product;

but does not include a medical device or medication

wash-off product means a product that is intended to be rinsed off during or after use.

Part 2—Provisions

5 Person must not sell or manufacture prohibited wash-off products

A person must not sell or manufacture a prohibited wash-off product.

Penalty: 6 penalty units

______________________________END_______________________________

Explanatory Memorandum

The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the use of microbeads in wash-off cosmetic or personal care products.

Human Rights Impact

This bill has no human rights impact.

Second Reading Speech

Mr Speaker,

Microbeads are an insidious but classic form of pollution: the convenience or the luxury of these microplastics in various products we enjoy may not be insignificant, but it’s perhaps one of the more obvious ways harmful microplastics enter our waterways and harm our ocean life and by extension human food chains.

It is time to ban the sale and manufacture of these products in Australia, and stop undue and unnecessary harm to our natural and supposedly pristine environment.