NEW tree protection laws, a ban on heavyweight and boutique plastic bags and reforms for the hospitality sector to improve the night-time economy will take effect in the ACT from January 1.

Plastic bags

All single-use shopping bags that are made fully or partially of plastic are banned. This includes soft plastic bags greater than 35 microns in thickness, and bags made from plastic-laminated paper or cardboard.

The ACT government says it will monitor exemptions which will apply for certain plastic bags:

1. bags without handles
2. unsealed bags used to package perishable food such as fruit or cooked poultry
3. shopping bags made of nylon, polyester or woven polypropylene
4. non-woven polypropylene bags with a minimum weight of 90g/m² with sewn seams.

Tree protection

The Urban Forest Act 2023 will take effect from January 1 to provide a stronger legal framework to protect, grow and manage Canberra’s trees.

The government says the new laws will make the city more resilient to a changing climate by reducing the urban heat-island effect.

The new laws protect more trees by:

1. classifying all public trees as protected
2. reducing the size requirements for protected trees on private land from 12 metres to 8 metres in height or canopy width
3. classifying dead native trees with a circumference of 1.88m or more as protected to provide essential habitat elements for local fauna
4. Encouraging existing trees to be retained, including introducing new requirements to ensure trees that have to be approved to be removed are replaced or, where new planting is not possible, a financial contribution to support tree planting elsewhere
5. introducing a tree bond system to ensure trees are not damaged during construction work as our city continues to grow
6. expanding the ACT Tree Register which celebrates and protects our most significant trees.
7. improving compliance provisions, for example, the introduction of penalties for people caught damaging a tree or breaching a tree protection plan or direction.

If a protected tree is eligible and approved for removal, the applicant will be required to enter into a canopy contribution agreement with the ACT government.

The agreement sets out:

1. how many replacement trees are to be planted on the block to replace those removed, and
2. if some or all of the trees cannot be planted, what financial contribution is required to grow and enhance the urban forest.

Night-time economy

From January 1, the ACT government will:

1. automatically allow smaller licensed restaurants and cafes to trade until 2am
2. reduce liquor licensing fees for smaller restaurants, cafes, bars and general licences
3. remove the requirement for general licensed businesses to have separate areas for the sale of liquor for on-premises and off-premises consumption.

These changes aim to reduce costs and the administrative burden on businesses, encourage extended trading hours and foster innovative business models.