Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Just hours before the State Budget is expected to be handed down, Burnett MP Stephen Bennett is seeking assurances from the Palaszczuk Government that it will safeguard Wide Bay’s sugar industry.
During Question Time today, Mr Bennett asked the Agriculture Minister to provide funding to save Maryborough’s sugar industry and prevent three mills in the Wide Bay from closing.
Mr Bennett’s question follows the imminent closure of the Maryborough sugar mill.
“The industry has been crying out for funding from the state government for the past 12 months now to invest in the necessary infrastructure to transfer cane from Maryborough to Isis for crushing, but their requests have fallen on deaf ears,” he said.
“The clock is ticking and our growers need certainty to plan future crops and be assured that their cane won’t be left to rot in the fields.
“We must ensure the Wide Bay continues to have a viable sugar industry to secure the future of jobs.”
Mr Bennett said the Minister failed to provide a detailed response to the question in time, but it was clear that there was no money being set aside for a proposed rescue package to assist the industry.
“Labor’s own Maryborough MP was on the radio recently claiming to be supportive of keeping the industry alive and the proposal to crush cane in Isis, yet the Minister still refuses to sign off on it,” he said.
“Clearly Bruce Saunders doesn’t have much pull within his own government.”
Mr Bennett vowed to continue to fight for the region’s sugar industry.
ENDS.