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Sugar Industry Slams Australia–EU Trade Deal As ‘Horrendous Outcome’ Australia’s sugar industry has strongly criticised the outcome of the Australia–EU Free Trade Agreement, with CANEGROWERS warning the deal fails to deliver meaningful benefits for cane farmers. CANEGROWERS CEO Dan Galligan described the agreement as a major setback for the industry, particularly for growers across Queensland. “This is a horrendous outcome for Australia’s cane growers,” Mr Galligan said. “For the past decade we have made our needs abundantly clear to the Australian Government and they have not delivered. There is no meaningful commercial access for sugar in this deal. “The market access Australia has achieved is extremely small – less than 2% of Europe’s import requirement and well below what Brazil and its Mercosur partners secured last year, which was around four times larger than Australia’s outcome.” Under the agreement, Australia will receive an additional 35,000 tonnes of sugar quota access over three years, adding to an existing allocation of 9,925 tonnes. However, Mr Galligan said the increase falls far short of what is needed to create real commercial opportunities. “These volumes are not economically meaningful. They will not shift the dial for growers or materially change Australia’s position in the European market. “This is not what genuine market access looks like.” He also criticised the lack of long-term growth opportunities within the agreement. “Compounding this, the agreement delivers no growth, no pathway to expand access and effectively locks growers into a bad deal for the next generation. “It’s a capitulation to protectionist European sugar interests, plain and simple.” Mr Galligan said the outcome was particularly disappointing given Europe’s reliance on imported sugar. “The EU is a net importer of sugar and must bring in significant volumes each year to meet domestic demand. “Australia can help meet that demand with high-quality, sustainably produced sugar, but instead we have been locked out.” He added that the deal does little to address the challenges faced by Australian producers, particularly exposure to volatile global prices. “This deal does nothing to change that position. “We support trade liberalisation, but it has to be meaningful. Growers need outcomes that create genuine opportunity, not agreements that deliver nothing now and take us backwards when it comes to trade liberalisation.” CANEGROWERS said it will continue to review the full details of the agreement while advocating for improved global market access and fairer trading conditions for Australia’s sugar industry.
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Students from the geoscience faculty at James Cook University (JCU) recently headed to the Burdekin River for a hands-on field trip, gaining real-world experience studying the region’s unique geology. The group spent the day examining igneous intrusions and striking magma mingling textures, with conditions requiring them to quite literally get their feet wet. “We had to get our feet wet this year but it was another fantastic geology field trip to the Burdekin River to look at igneous intrusions and spectacular magma mingling textures,” said JCU Senior Lecturer in Geoscience, Helen McCoy-West. Staff and students described the excursion as a valuable learning experience, offering the opportunity to see geological processes up close while exploring one of North Queensland’s key natural features. “Thank you to the staff and students for a great day out!”
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Primary producers across the Burdekin are set to benefit from a new climate tool designed to better predict the end of the northern wet season. Developed through the Northern Australia Climate Program, the Northern Rainfall Retreat (NRR) tool identifies the date of the last significant rainfall before the wet season ends—critical information for farmers managing livestock and crops. The timing of late-season rain can have a major impact on agricultural operations, influencing mustering, livestock transport, stocking rates and crop harvesting. Unseasonal rainfall events can also disrupt harvests, damage infrastructure and affect herd numbers if conditions become extreme. The tool uses historical rainfall data and climate modelling to pinpoint when rainfall typically “retreats” at a specific location. By analysing cumulative rainfall anomalies from the start of the year, it determines the point when rainfall peaks before transitioning into the dry season. Local natural resource management group NQ Dry Tropics is one of several organisations involved in delivering the program, alongside partners including the University of Southern Queensland and the Bureau of Meteorology. The broader program focuses on helping the red meat industry manage drought and climate risk across northern Australia. For Burdekin producers, the NRR tool offers a practical way to reduce uncertainty and make more informed decisions as the region transitions out of the wet season.
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Over the school holidays, Larrikin Puppets took to the stage to light up the Burdekin Theatre in Ayr, with over 50 attendees from toddlers to teens coming along to enjoy the show.
The Larrikin Puppets are children’s entertainers, travelling Australia and internationally with their band of zany characters, performing colourful shows and catchy songs.
Founder of Larrikin Puppets, Brett Hansen says, “We loved the Burdekin Theatre, everyone was really nice and helpful”.
“They set up the foyer space so nicely for us with black curtain backdrops and lighting for the show. The kids and families were really nice, too.”
Established in 2012, Larrikin Puppets engage with the audience through fast-paced, feel-good entertainment, encouraging audiences to talk, dance, sing and play along.
Larrikin Puppets also run both beginner and advanced puppeteering workshops, giving students the opportunity to learn a range of techniques.
The workshops, led by Brett and his wife/co-puppeteer, Elissa Jenkins, gives the audience a rare chance to learn in a fun, supportive environment that inspires confidence, teambuilding, communication and creativity.
Brett says, “We love touring and travelling to different places that don’t often get puppet shows or workshops, everyone is in good spirits and excited to learn.”
“When we do our library tours, we have 50 puppets to lend out, teaching participants ways to bring these inanimate objects into living, breathing creatures.”
The puppeteering duo have trained in the USA under Jim Henson Puppeteers, who are well-known for their work on The Muppets and Sesame Street television shows.
Brett goes on to say, “Good homework for the kids to do after they’ve attended is to watch [these TV shows], to see how the puppets move and remember some of the skills they learnt in the workshop.”
Larrikin Puppets strive to create a world of ‘bright-eyed wonder’ for children and families everywhere, working each day to make the world a more whimsical, kind and joyful place.
Larrikin Puppets have a jam-packed schedule, with shows across Queensland this month, as well as a Ted Talk in Brisbane on October 14.
Elissa Jenkins and Brett Hanssen bring their unique puppet show to the Burdekin Theatre. Photo credit: Rachael Smith
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