Mayoral Column - the Answer is Right in Front of Us - 23 March 2025

Published on 23 March 2026

Last Tuesday, I was fortunate to attend the 2026 Secure the Future: Green Energy Forum hosted by Townsville Enterprise in Townsville. The forum brings together industry leaders and innovators from across Australia to discuss the emerging green energy industry. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) was a major topic of discussion.

As I indicated in last week’s column, sugar cane is regarded as one of the best feedstocks for bioenergy products, including ethanol, biodiesel and the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. We have well established credentials for sugar cane growing and would be well equipped to assist in fast tracking production to meet demand. The establishment of such industries would create new markets for sugar growing regions such as ours, leading to significant economic development, new jobs and growth. Our prosperity, or otherwise, would no longer be governed by the world sugar market and that in itself would enable a much more sustainable future.

There were a few big hitters at the forum, led by international representatives of Qantas, Airbus and Jet Zero.

Obviously, the topic on everyone’s mind at the moment is the problems we in Australia are experiencing with fuel, both availability and price hikes occurring due to the Middle East war. It was very refreshing to see business leaders calling for a federal mandate on the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel to build Australia’s national fuel security and unlock a new bioenergy industry.

Mr Stephen Forshaw, Airbus Chief Representative of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, said, “The threat to Australia’s fuel security from a reliance on imports highlights the importance of accelerating local production of biofuels.” Jet Zero Australia CEO Mr Ed Mason said, “The urgent need to address fuel sovereignty by accelerating a domestic SAF industry is now well understood across Australia’s aviation, defence, agriculture, transport and tourism sectors.”

You will recall from my last column that our North Queensland mayoral delegation to Canberra last month had lobbying for a SAF industry as a major priority. With plenty of sugar cane able to be used as feedstock, well established industrial precincts and supply chains, our region is well positioned to scale up domestic biofuel production.

What we asked for was regulatory change and a mandate to establish demand. Demand will provide certainty, and that comfort will incentivise investment. As simple as that. It was very heartening to note that the big players mentioned above were not looking to our government for a handout. They were there with cheque books ready to invest in creating a new industry if the government’s regulatory environment allowed it. That, to me, shows confidence in what we have and what we can do.

However, you will understand my extreme disappointment with our Federal Government for not seizing the moment at the recently convened taskforce to look into our immediate fuel problems. No talk on mandates, no talk on making our own fuel, or anything of that nature.

Apparently, the reluctance to embrace SAF is linked to the high cost of living problem. I am not sure what the government thinks now.

I also resent the insinuation that our community has been hoarding fuel. Our community has done nothing more than fill their tanks in preparation for our imminent planting season and to protect ourselves from a pricing perspective, as there is no indication from the government as to where the price per litre may land in the immediate future.

During the last federal election, Mr Albanese campaigned hard and loudly on re establishing manufacturing in Australia, but I am yet to see or hear any evidence of that. SAF would be an excellent first cab off the rank to prove sincerity in that regard and would go a long way to enhancing the prosperity of our region.

Our current circumstances dictate the need to transition our economic practices from “dig to ship” to once again “cooking at home”. We are over being a “takeaway society”, and we need manufacturing to create the jobs and wealth we desperately need to be sustainable. It is not as if we are short of resources.

Mayor Ramon Jayo
Hinchinbrook Shire Council