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Canegrowers Burdekin Limited (CBL), QCAR, and Kalagro among North Queensland organisations are set to meet with Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Anthony Chisholm when he arrives in North Queensland. Photo supplied.
Burdekin grower organisations will have a seat at the table as the Federal Government reviews the future of the Sugar Code of Conduct.
The review has now entered its consultation phase, with Federal Government officials visiting North Queensland this month to hear directly from growers and industry representatives about their priorities for the Code.
Introduced in 2017, the Code was established to promote fair and transparent trading between growers and millers. It is now undergoing a mandatory review ahead of its scheduled expiry in October 2027, with the process to determine whether it will be extended, amended or replaced.
Public consultation attracted 283 submissions from across industry, demonstrating strong engagement with the review.
The Federal Government is now consulting directly with grower collectives, with Canegrowers Burdekin Limited (CBL), QCAR, and Kalagro among North Queensland organisations set to meet with Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Anthony Chisholm when he arrives in North Queensland this month.
Senator Chisholm said the discussions were part of the government’s commitment to ensuring the industry had the right regulatory settings to remain competitive.
“The sugar industry has played a huge part in our state’s history, and it will continue to play that role into the future,” Senator Chisholm said.
“Sugar already supports thousands of regional jobs and contributes billions to our economy—we know with the right settings it can grow even further.
“Sugar is vitally important to rural and regional Queensland, and the Federal Government wants to ensure that the industry has the right settings to thrive.”
QCAR General Manager Tara Neill said any changes to the Code must recognise the industry’s transition into new opportunities, including renewable energy.
“We're moving more and more into the renewable space and looking at other ways to add revenue, and that's what we would like to see included in the Code to ensure that growers are party to that discussion in the future," she said.
“We need to make sure that the Code will be effective not only now, but in another 10 years' time.”
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