In an unprecedented show of unity, four of Australia’s most influential agricultural and manufacturing bodies have jointly called on the federal government to introduce an immediate national mandate for ethanol and biodiesel, citing the ongoing fuel crisis as proof of the country’s dangerous dependence on imported fuel, Mirage News reported.
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF), GrainGrowers, Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM), and CANEGROWERS — together representing more than 150,000 Australian farming businesses and over 16 sugar manufacturing facilities — said the time for policy action had arrived. The grouping spans grain, oilseed, pulse and cane growers as well as sugar manufacturers, and collectively contributes billions of dollars to regional economies across the country.
The four bodies are calling on the Australian Government to introduce an immediate national mandate for ethanol and biodiesel, establish a firm and escalating pathway to grow demand for domestically produced biofuels over time, and include Australian-made ethanol and biodiesel as eligible low-carbon fuels under the federal government’s Cleaner Fuels Programme.
Mike Guerin, Chief Executive Officer of the NFF, said the current situation had laid bare how exposed Australia was to disruptions in critical inputs. He said farmers were already supplying feedstocks that power biofuel industries in other countries, and that supporting a domestic biofuels industry was both logical and necessary. Guerin added that a strong domestic biofuels sector would also help diversify market opportunities for producers, which he described as a key element of risk management.
Shona Gawel, Chief Executive Officer of GrainGrowers, said Australian sorghum and wheat were well placed to feed into domestic ethanol production. She urged the government to bring forward demand-side mechanisms to ensure locally produced ethanol could enter the country’s fuel mix, describing expanded ethanol use as a major opportunity for fuel security, regional economic growth, and improved market diversity.
Ash Salardini, Chief Executive Officer of Australian Sugar Manufacturers, said ethanol was among the very few supply-side solutions immediately available to the government in response to the fuel crisis. He said Australia could, over the longer term, expand ethanol production to supply more than 3 billion litres of biofuels, making a significant contribution to the country’s liquid fuel security.
Dan Galligan, Chief Executive Officer of CANEGROWERS, said decades of industry advocacy had brought the issue to a critical juncture, and that the time for action was now. He noted that cane growers across Queensland and New South Wales harvest over 30 million tonnes of sugarcane each season to supply domestic and export markets, but said the crop could do far more as a renewable feedstock. Galligan said an enforced ethanol mandate would generate the demand signal needed to justify new investment in supply and open diversified revenue streams for the sugar industry.
