Media Release

Meetings into the future of sugar marketing in Australia over the past two nights in Ingham and Innisfail have seen resounding calls for State and Federal Governments to act to preserve growers’ economic interests and to retain existing marketing arrangements.

The meetings were attended by KAP State MPs Shane Knuth and Robbie Katter, leading cane growing groups Canegrowers and Australian Cane Farmers, peak ethanol industry body Biofuels Australia, a representative of the AWU speaking on behalf of employees, local farmers and community members.

State Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth said that he and Robbie Katter MP would be introducing a Private Members Bill on behalf of the sugar growers, but better still they hoped the Government would take the Bill on themselves with the KAP MPs and farmers’ support.

Mr Knuth said he had seen what the closure of industries had done to small towns across Queensland.

“I have great concerns for the coastal communities that stretch from Bundaberg through to north of Mossman, including the Atherton tablelands, if this is not resolved.

“The sugar industry drives the economies of those towns.

“The last thing we want to see is all the profits going to foreign companies at the expense of these communities.

“I’ve seen the damage that closing one railway station does to rural communities and those once-thriving western communities are now ghost towns,” Mr Knuth said.

State Member for Mount Isa Robbie Katter said at the meeting that he wanted a future for his children where there was still an agricultural industry in Queensland.

“We want more opportunities.

“The foreign owned Wilmars of the world can say they create opportunities, but they’re essentially opportunities for the corporatised, foreign owned Wilmar, rather than for farming families.

“Governments really need a punch in the nose, they need to deliver outcomes and not just another inquiry and lip service.

“There needs to be legislation that protects the farmer as the primary producer and sees a return to statutory marketing,” Rob Katter said.

Chair of the Innisfail meeting Barry Barnes said it was testament to the integrity of the KAP State politicians that they had attended a meeting outside of their electorate on an issue that affected a large portion of Queensland agriculture, the viability of the Queensland sugar industry.

“Most politicians only come out of their electorates before an election to buy votes.

“But Shane Knuth and Robbie Katter have come to these meetings early in the Parliamentary cycle because they realise the urgency in the marketing of sugar, which is currently not in the farmers’ best interest,” Mr Barnes said.

Federal member for Kennedy Bob Katter, who called the meetings, said he was deeply appreciative of the two State members of Parliament who were shouldering the responsibilities of not only their own electorates but also the wider interests of North Queensland.

He also advanced the calls for mandatory ethanol in Australia, which relies heavily on sugar production, saying it was about the only product left that Australians could make any money out of.

“Try growing tomatoes, China will kill you.

“Try growing prawns, Thailand will kill you.

“We just can’t compete with the imported products.

“But ethanol, we know we can make money out of and we have to convince the Parliament of the absolute necessity for ethanol,” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter will be putting forward amendments to legislation at the Federal level reflecting the meetings’ resolutions.

The meetings’ formal resolutions were as follows:

QLD State Government - Sugar Industry Act 1999 - Demand the State Government legislate as required to recognise:
a. grower economic interest

b. real choice in grower market interest

c. preserve current equity marketing interests

d. provisions for commercial dispute resolution

e. retention of independent industry owned marketing body.

Federal Government – Australian Competition and Consumer Act 2010 - Demand the Federal Government legislate for a mandatory Code of Conduct to recognise:
a. grower economic interest

b. real choice in grower market interest

c. preserve current equity marketing interests

d. provisions for commercial dispute resolution

e. retention of independent industry owned marketing body.

Meetings into the future of sugar marketing in Australia over the past two nights in Ingham and Innisfail have seen resounding calls for State and Federal Governments to act to preserve growers’ economic interests and to retain existing marketing arrangements.

The meetings were attended by KAP State MPs Shane Knuth and Robbie Katter, leading cane growing groups Canegrowers and Australian Cane Farmers, peak ethanol industry body Biofuels Australia, a representative of the AWU speaking on behalf of employees, local farmers and community members.

State Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth said that he and Robbie Katter MP would be introducing a Private Members Bill on behalf of the sugar growers, but better still they hoped the Government would take the Bill on themselves with the KAP MPs and farmers’ support.

Mr Knuth said he had seen what the closure of industries had done to small towns across Queensland.

“I have great concerns for the coastal communities that stretch from Bundaberg through to north of Mossman, including the Atherton tablelands, if this is not resolved.

“The sugar industry drives the economies of those towns.

“The last thing we want to see is all the profits going to foreign companies at the expense of these communities.

“I’ve seen the damage that closing one railway station does to rural communities and those once-thriving western communities are now ghost towns,” Mr Knuth said.

State Member for Mount Isa Robbie Katter said at the meeting that he wanted a future for his children where there was still an agricultural industry in Queensland.

“We want more opportunities.

“The foreign owned Wilmars of the world can say they create opportunities, but they’re essentially opportunities for the corporatised, foreign owned Wilmar, rather than for farming families.

“Governments really need a punch in the nose, they need to deliver outcomes and not just another inquiry and lip service.

“There needs to be legislation that protects the farmer as the primary producer and sees a return to statutory marketing,” Rob Katter said.

Chair of the Innisfail meeting Barry Barnes said it was testament to the integrity of the KAP State politicians that they had attended a meeting outside of their electorate on an issue that affected a large portion of Queensland agriculture, the viability of the Queensland sugar industry.

“Most politicians only come out of their electorates before an election to buy votes.

“But Shane Knuth and Robbie Katter have come to these meetings early in the Parliamentary cycle because they realise the urgency in the marketing of sugar, which is currently not in the farmers’ best interest,” Mr Barnes said.

Federal member for Kennedy Bob Katter, who called the meetings, said he was deeply appreciative of the two State members of Parliament who were shouldering the responsibilities of not only their own electorates but also the wider interests of North Queensland.

He also advanced the calls for mandatory ethanol in Australia, which relies heavily on sugar production, saying it was about the only product left that Australians could make any money out of.

“Try growing tomatoes, China will kill you.

“Try growing prawns, Thailand will kill you.

“We just can’t compete with the imported products.

“But ethanol, we know we can make money out of and we have to convince the Parliament of the absolute necessity for ethanol,” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter will be putting forward amendments to legislation at the Federal level reflecting the meetings’ resolutions.

The meetings’ formal resolutions were as follows:

QLD State Government - Sugar Industry Act 1999 - Demand the State Government legislate as required to recognise:

a. grower economic interest

b. real choice in grower market interest

c. preserve current equity marketing interests

d. provisions for commercial dispute resolution

e. retention of independent industry owned marketing body.

Federal Government – Australian Competition and Consumer Act 2010 - Demand the Federal Government legislate for a mandatory Code of Conduct to recognise:

a. grower economic interest

b. real choice in grower market interest

c. preserve current equity marketing interests

d. provisions for commercial dispute resolution

e. retention of independent industry owned marketing body.