With less than four weeks until the start of the North Queensland cane harvest, Burdekin growers remain in limbo as a marketing dispute with sugar milling company Wilmar Sugar drags on.
LNP Shadow Agriculture Minister Dale Last said growers had been sold down the river by the Palaszczuk Labor Government and its Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne.
“Two months ago Bill Byrne and Labor teamed with Parliament’s speaker Peter Wellington to vote down legislation to deal with this ridiculous, long-running dispute,” Mr Last said.
“Bill Byrne attacked the LNP for bringing legislation to Parliament to mandate arbitration and bring a resolution to disputes when negotiations break down.
“Labor appointed former Supreme Court Justice Richard Chesterman as mediator on February 28.
“But now, more than two months later, as many as 1500 growers who have no choice but to send their cane to Wilmar mills, are still waiting for supply contracts which are legally required before cane can be crushed.
“Thanks to Bill Byrne and Labor, time has all but run out for growers who will be left with no other option but to go ‘cap in hand’ to Wilmar to sign a cane supply agreement.
“They’ve had to sit by and watch sugar prices slide more than 20 per cent in the past few months to be now back around $A460/tonne from earlier highs of $A600/tonne and more.
“This is a vital issue for our third-largest agricultural industry, but Bill Byrne and Labor are only interested in playing politics and siding with multi-nationals.
“The LNP will deliver better government, create jobs across Queensland and better manage our finances.”
