Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM) welcomes the Federal Government’s Budget announcement for the introduction of a national licensing scheme for electricians and the enhancement of apprenticeship incentives. The extension of these measures is essential to address the critical workforce challenges faced by the sugar manufacturing sector.
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Sugar manufacturing sector welcomes national licensing and apprenticeship incentives announced in 2025 Federal Budget28 Mar 2025
20250328-Support-for-national-licensing-and-apprenticeship-incentives.pdf
Australian Sugar Manufacturers - Our new identity is live17 Mar 2025
The Australian Sugar Milling Council has officially transitioned to its new identity as Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM), reinforcing its role in sugar production, renewable energy and bio-based manufacturing in Australia. The rebrand comes at a time when sugar manufacturing is being recognised as a viable and sustainable contributor to renewable energy and biofuel.
Ash Salardini, CEO of Australian Sugar Manufacturers says this was confirmed by the recently announced ARENA funding to assess the viability of a sustainable aviation fuel biorefinery at ASM’s member Isis Central Sugar Mill, using sugar derived feedstocks.
The Federal Government has since allocated $250 million from the $1.7 billion Future Made in Australia Fund to explore domestic feedstock supply for low-carbon liquid fuels.
The Australian Sugar Milling Council rebrands to Australian Sugar Manufacturers10 Mar 2025
The Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) is pleased to announce its upcoming rebrand to Australian Sugar Manufacturers. This change reflects the sector’s evolving role in advancing a diverse and sustainable manufacturing sector while reinforcing our contribution to Australia’s economy and regional communities.
The new name more accurately reflects the sector’s expanded role in producing high-quality sugar products, bioenergy and other bio-based goods. The rebrand aligns with the industry’s future direction and strengthens the organisation’s ability to champion the value of sugar manufacturing in Australia.
Sugar manufacturers welcome the plan to secure our food and bioenergy future04 Mar 2025
Today’s announcement of the development of a national food security and bioenergy strategy ‘Feeding Australia’ by the Federal Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins has been welcomed by the Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC).
ASMC CEO Ash Salardini says the Australian sugar industry can be central to Australia’s role in a global food and bioenergy future, and this national strategy will ensure collaboration between the key bioenergy stakeholders.
‘In a world that is being increasingly defined by geopolitical tensions, securing our food and energy future is not a ‘nice to have’, it is one of the defining challenges facing Australia’, said Mr Salardini.
The Australian Sugar Manufacturers welcome the use of domestic feedstocks in SAF production 26 Feb 2025
The Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM) welcome the Albanese Government’s $8 million investment into assessing the viability of establishing a biorefinery facility for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, utilising feedstock from the Isis Central Sugar Mill near Childers. The announcement aligns with the ASMC’s recent call for Australian feedstocks to be front and centre of a low carbon liquid fuel future, as outlined in the Milling Council’s Federal pre-budget submission.
ASM Chief Executive Officer Ash Salardini said this project reflects the government’s recognition of the sugar industry’s untapped potential in the renewable fuel sector.
“Our industry has long advocated for policies that support the use of domestic, sustainable feedstocks for use in low carbon liquid fuel projects. With readily available biomass from sugar manufacturing, Australia is uniquely positioned to develop a domestic low carbon liquid fuel capability.” Mr Salardini said.
Federal Budget: Sugar manufacturers call for a new approach to industry policy in the wake of emerging international trade uncertainty 03 Feb 2025
The Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) has released its 2025-26 Federal Pre-Budget Submission, highlighting the crucial role that sugar manufacturing can play in addressing key national challenges. The submission underscores the need for more proactive industry policy in response to emerging global uncertainty as international trade rules come under pressure, including recent decisions by the Indian Government to resume sugar exports despite World Trade Organisation (WTO) rulings.
ASMC CEO Ash Salardini said Australia’s trade-exposed industries, and the workers and communities that rely on them, are facing growing global trade headwinds that threaten long-term viability.
India’s resumption of sugar exports risks global market disruption 21 Jan 2025
The Indian Government’s announcement to export up to one-million tonnes of raw sugar, ignoring previous WTO rulings against it, has raised alarms about potential market disruptions causing a decline in sugar prices globally.
India’s history of employing trade-distorting subsidies has faced wide-spread criticism and led to multiple legal challenges. The WTO ruled in 2021 that India breached international trade agreements by artificially inflating sugar production and distorting global markets with subsidised exports.
“India’s disregard for its WTO obligations threatens the global sugar industry’s viability. It is imperative that sugar producing countries including Australia work collectively to address this challenge and safeguard their interests” said Ash Salardini, CEO of Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM).
Raw sugar export values improve through Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement 15 Jan 2025
The Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) has welcomed today’s report of increases in the value of raw sugar exports to the United Kingdom resulting from the easing of tariffs under the Australia UK Free Trade Agreement which came into force in May 2023.
The UK had been a significant buyer of Australian raw sugar in the past and the opportunity to again sell sugar to refiners in the UK broadens the Australia sugar industry’s customer base.
The positive green shoots in terms of raw sugar exports to the UK came via an announcement by Federal Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins, who is in the UK discussing the improved trade ties and the resultant growth in two-way trade.
Growers need to back the sugar industry, not talk it down at every turn 03 Dec 2024
Today, the Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) has noted its dismay at grower groups choosing to frequently talk down the sugar industry.
“I am frankly dismayed at some of the commentary of grower representative groups talking down our great industry. A senior Canegrowers representative is on the record suggesting that mill breakdowns in the current crush have cost them billions,” said Ash Salardini, CEO of the ASMC.
Sugar Research Australia’s 32.6M investment announcement a timely boost for the sugar industry 02 Dec 2024
“This level of investment across our entire supply chain is a timely boost for all industry stakeholders as we near the end of what has been a challenging 2024 harvest and manufacturing season for the industry,” said ASMC CEO Ash Salardini.
“The Queensland sugar industry has been a cornerstone industry in the State since the latter half of the 19th century and it continues to be a powerhouse for the State’s economy supporting more than 20,000 jobs and contributing more than $4 billion dollars annually,” Mr Salardini said.
“The Queensland sugar industry has been a cornerstone industry in the State since the latter half of the 19th century and it continues to be a powerhouse for the State’s economy supporting more than 20,000 jobs and contributing more than $4 billion dollars annually,” Mr Salardini said.
Without a National Biofuels Feedstock Strategy, future made in Brazil not Australia27 Nov 2024
While tentatively welcoming the Boeing and CSIRO ‘Sustainable Aviation Fuel – State of Play” update, the Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM) is calling on governments to urgently develop a National Biofuels Feedstock Strategy, as highlighted in the report released yesterday.
“The ASMC has been calling for this feedstock strategy since early 2024. Sugar manufacturers can be central to Australia’s biofuels future through the production of bioethanol and other biofuels feedstocks. However, we need a good healthy dose of reality in the debate – the current proposed alcohol-to-fuel SAF plants will not use a single scrap of Australian feedstock, they will rely on imported bioethanol from places like Brazil” said Mr Ash Salardini, CEO of the ASM.