Packaging rule · Australia · EPR
Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for Packaging (No Time to Waste) Bill 2026
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) rule covering all packaging in Australia, set by Parliament of Australia (Senate). Proposed, not yet law.
The rule
Recorded from the official source named below. Rates and dates are as the source states them on the date it was consulted.
- Jurisdiction
- Australia
- Authority
- Parliament of Australia (Senate)
- Rule type
- EPR
- Materials
- All packaging
- Status
- Proposed Proposed, not law
- Proposed
- 14 May 2026
From the source“Date referred: 14 May 2026 … Reporting date: 6 August 2026”
Official source Parliament of Australia: Senate inquiry pageOfficial (government or regulator) · consulted 13 October 2026
Key dates
Proposed 4 months ago
Source consulted by the SPI team today
Dates for a proposal are those in the text as proposed and may change before adoption.
What it means
SPI analysis Our reading of the official source above. Not legal advice; always rely on the official text.
SPI summary
Bill to establish a mandatory national packaging EPR scheme, referred to the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee on 14 May 2026 with a reporting date of 6 August 2026.
In practice
This bill would establish a mandatory national extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging in Australia. It has been referred to a Senate legislation committee and has not passed, so it creates no obligations today. Brand owners and packaging suppliers selling into Australia can read it as one signal of the move from voluntary targets towards regulation, alongside the reforms environment ministers have agreed.
Who is in scope
- Packaging, under a proposed national EPR scheme as named in the bill's title
- Detailed scope and obligated parties were not confirmed on the official inquiry page reviewed
Who is not
- No exemptions confirmed on the official pages reviewed
What to do and by when
- NowCheck the committee inquiry page for a tabled report and recommendations.
- NowMap Australian packaging volumes by material to be ready for any EPR fee model.
- If the bill passesReview obligations, timing and the regulator role in the enacted text.
Related rules
- PR-AU-001 2025 National Packaging Targets
Voluntary 2025 National Packaging Targets that a mandatory scheme would follow. - PR-GB-002 UK packaging EPR regulations (pEPR) 2024
UK packaging EPR, an enacted national model with producer fees. - PR-CA-003 Ontario Blue Box Regulation (O. Reg. 391/21) full producer responsibility
Ontario full producer responsibility, another enacted EPR model. - PR-NZ-001 Plastic phase-outs (stages 1 and 2)
Neighbouring jurisdiction regulating packaging through bans rather than EPR.
Where the record is unclear
- The inquiry page still shows the bill as referred, with a 6 August 2026 reporting date and no tabling information. SPI has not yet seen a published committee report.
- The bill's sponsor and detailed provisions were not confirmed on an official page.
- Prospects of the bill passing are not stated in any official source reviewed.
Sources for this note
- Parliament of Australia: Senate inquiry page Consulted 13 October 2026
- Parliament of Australia: Senate Selection of Bills Committee report 6 of 2026 Consulted 13 October 2026
Note written by the SPI team on 13 October 2026.
Where it sits in the tracker
- One of 2 packaging rules we track in Australia, of which 1 are EPR rules.
- In all, 25 EPR rules are tracked across 15 jurisdictions. Compare them below
Company profiles that map to this rule
Companies whose SPI profile lists this rule in its regulatory exposure, based on where they report selling. Not company-reported.
Change history
Sourced: an SPI analyst recorded the facts above from the official source. A second SPI team member has not re-checked it yet. Every change is logged here.
Changed: rate note
Verified by a second SPI team member
Added to the tracker
Spotted an error? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com quoting PR-AU-003 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.
EPR rules elsewhere
The same type of rule for the same materials in other jurisdictions, by the date it applies.
Ask the SPI team
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- Q1
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We map each market's EPR, tax, ban, recycled-content, labelling and deposit rules against your materials and formats, and show which are in force, adopted or only proposed.
- Q2
What could EPR fees and plastic taxes cost us next year?
We apply published fee tables and tax rates to your tonnages and recycled content, and show the result as scenarios with every rate sourced.
- Q3
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