Sugar Industry (Application of Transitional Provision) Amendment Bill 2017

Overview

This bill aimed to give Burdekin cane growers supplying Wilmar Sugar another year under their existing supply contracts. It would have delayed new sugar marketing rules from applying until 1 July 2018 so Wilmar and Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL) had more time to finalise their on-supply deal. The bill was introduced by Mr Steve Dickson MP as a private member's bill and was later withdrawn, so it did not become law.

Who it affects

Cane growers in the Burdekin supplying Wilmar Sugar would have benefited from a further year of contract certainty. Growers with other mills who had already settled their contracts were not affected.

Key changes

• Would have inserted a new section 299 into the Sugar Industry Act 1999 to keep existing cane supply contracts on foot for longer
• Pushed the trigger date for section 33B to apply from 1 July 2017 out to 1 July 2018 (or until the contract ended)
• Only applied to existing contracts that had not already ended contractually
• Was withdrawn before passing — the original 1 July 2017 deadline continued to apply