One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson has called for major supermarkets to bring back plastic bags, despite them being banned across the country.
The Queensland senator posted a video to her social media pages, which showed her holding a broken Woolworths paper bag with some items inside.
In the video, Hanson claimed the bags were of poor quality, and expressed frustration at the 25c it costs to buy them at Woolworths.
“You buy these cheap, rubbish bags that split and break on you all the time,” she said.
“I’m over it, I’m so angry about this.
She also called for the return of plastic bags to major supermarkets, writing: “Bring back the trusty plastic bags.”
Decisions to ban plastic bags are taken by individual states and territories rather than at the national level. However, all states and territories have now implemented bans on lightweight plastic bags.
Coles and Woolworths also voluntarily got rid of plastic bags in 2018, charging a small sum for shoppers to use reusable bags.
However, Hanson claimed such a charge in a cost-of-living crisis was unfair on Australians.
“You charge a fortune for it, cost of living, people can’t afford it, and it’s ridiculous,” she said.
“I’m sure you’re making a fortune out of it.”
A spokesperson for Woolworths told 9news.com.au a range of bags are available for customers, and disputed Hanson’s claims of poor quality.
“Our paper bags have been an option for customers since 2020. Although we still offer a variety of shopping bags, our goal is to reduce the number of bags we sell,” they mentioned.
“Woolworths paper bags are regularly tested to carry up to 6kg, and are easily recycled at home in kerbside recycling bins.”
