We are the voice of the Australian sugar manufacturing sector

With respect to recent cane rail incidents, the immediate focus of our members are with those impacted by these incidents, including for injured employees, family members, colleagues and first responders.  There are investigations on foot regarding these tragic incidents – the ASM will not speculate on the facts surrounding the matter and let these investigations make the findings they need to make.

The sugar industry takes cane rail safety very seriously, and we are deeply saddened by these tragic events. We work on a continuous improvement basis to adopt good safety practices across the network, and we will be undertaking a thorough review of these practices as a result of the findings from the investigations. However, the immediate focus is on the wellbeing of those impacted.

The Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM) has today submitted a bold vision to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Sugarcane Bioenergy Opportunities in Queensland, calling for a $40 million investment package to transform the sugar industry into the centrepiece of Australia’s renewable energy and low carbon liquid fuel future.

Representing an industry that supports over 20,000 regional jobs, the ASM outlines how Queensland’s sugar industry can leverage it feedstock (cane juice, molasses, and biomass) to become a national leader in biofuels, biogas, cogeneration, and biomanufacturing — if governments and industry act together.
The submission highlights:

• The potential to meet 30% of Australia’s aviation fuel demand using sugar-derived feedstocks.
• The ability to generate baseload renewable electricity equivalent to 500,000 homes through cogeneration.
• The opportunity to establish bioenergy precincts across regional Queensland that can pump out biofuels and biogas, leveraging our 4,000 km cane rail network to aggregate agricultural and forestry residues.
• The potential for new revenue streams for growers through the use of their tops and trash.

Queensland’s sugarcane industry has welcomed the Federal Government’s move to kickstart a national biofuels industry, declaring the state is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in clean energy and regional job creation.

The Government’s new ten-year Cleaner Fuels Program commits $1.1 billion “to help unlock the vast economic opportunities on offer from low carbon liquid fuels” such as biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel.

“The government must be commended for grabbing this once-in-a-generation opportunity with both hands,” ASM CEO Ash Salardini.

The Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry into bioenergy from sugar is set to visit sugar manufacturing facilities near Mackay and Townsville this week, kicking of a process that could be a defining moment in the development of Queensland’s biofuels and bioenergy sector.

The site visits, led by the Queensland Parliament Primary Industries and Resources Committee, will showcase the immense potential of sugar manufacturing to power a cleaner, more resilient energy future for Queensland.

“This isn’t just a tour—it’s the beginning of a transformation,” said Mr Ash Salardini, CEO of Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM). “The regions in and around Mackay, the Burdekin, Ingham and Townsville are uniquely positioned to lead Queensland’s bioenergy revolution.”