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Mackay Canegrowers Warn Rising Council Rates Are Pushing Industry to the Brink - Mackay, Queensland
Smart summary
Mackay cane representatives are challenging higher regional council rates, warning that increased costs are placing additional pressure on farming families and the local sugar industry.
Mackay's sugar industry is raising concerns about the impact of higher Mackay Regional Council rates on cane-growing businesses across the region. The issue has brought together representatives from the local sugar industry, including Mackay Canegrowers chairman Joseph Borg, Mackay Sugar CEO Carl Morton and District Canegrowers manager Michelle Martin, who have spoken publicly about the financial pressure facing growers.
The concerns centre on the latest council rates affecting rural properties in the Mackay region. Local cane representatives argue that increasing council costs are creating another financial burden for farming families already operating in a challenging agricultural environment. The discussion is particularly significant for Mackay because sugarcane is a major part of the region's agricultural economy.
Mackay Canegrowers and Mackay Sugar have both criticised the increase. Mackay Canegrowers' own current information says farming families have been receiving rates bills containing a 10.39 per cent increase for rural properties, describing the rise as a significant concern for the local industry.
The rates issue comes at an important time for the region's sugar industry. Cane growers face a range of costs associated with running farms, including labour, machinery, fuel, maintenance, transport and other operating expenses. Additional council charges therefore become part of the wider cost pressures affecting agricultural businesses.
Mackay Regional Council collects rates to help fund essential services throughout the region. Council information says rates contribute to services including roads and pathways, waste collection, recycling, libraries, community facilities, beaches, parks and environmental projects. Council rate notices are issued twice each year, including in August for the July-to-December billing period.
The disagreement therefore involves a broader question about how local government services should be funded while keeping costs manageable for agricultural producers. Cane representatives are seeking attention to the effect that increased rates can have on rural properties and farming families.
The issue has particular importance in Mackay because the region has a long-standing connection with sugar production. The local industry supports growers, mills, transport operators and other businesses connected to cane production and processing. The financial health of individual farms can therefore have consequences beyond individual properties.
The current dispute does not mean that council services are being withdrawn or that the sugar industry itself is facing immediate closure. Rather, the disagreement concerns the level of council rates being charged to rural properties and the financial impact that growers say the increases are having.
Mackay Canegrowers is the local organisation representing sugarcane growers across the Mackay and Plane Creek regions and provides advocacy and support on issues including marketing, water, electricity, transport, environment and farm business management.
The story published today highlights the growing tension between the needs of local government and the financial pressures experienced by agricultural producers. For Mackay's cane-growing community, the rates increase has become an important local economic issue.
The latest report features comments from representatives of the sugar industry and focuses specifically on the effect of Mackay Regional Council rates on cane growers.
MackayCouncilRatesIndustrySugar
Mackay's sugar industry is raising concerns about the impact of higher Mackay Regional Council rates on cane-growing businesses across the region. The issue has brought together representatives from the local sugar industry, including Mackay Canegrowers chairman Joseph Borg, Mackay Sugar CEO Carl Morton and District Canegrowers manager Michelle Martin, who have spoken publicly about the financial pressure facing growers.
The concerns centre on the latest council rates affecting rural properties in the Mackay region. Local cane representatives argue that increasing council costs are creating another financial burden for farming families already operating in a challenging agricultural environment. The discussion is particularly significant for Mackay because sugarcane is a major part of the region's agricultural economy.
Mackay Canegrowers and Mackay Sugar have both criticised the increase. Mackay Canegrowers' own current information says farming families have been receiving rates bills containing a 10.39 per cent increase for rural properties, describing the rise as a significant concern for the local industry.
The rates issue comes at an important time for the region's sugar industry. Cane growers face a range of costs associated with running farms, including labour, machinery, fuel, maintenance, transport and other operating expenses. Additional council charges therefore become part of the wider cost pressures affecting agricultural businesses.
Mackay Regional Council collects rates to help fund essential services throughout the region. Council information says rates contribute to services including roads and pathways, waste collection, recycling, libraries, community facilities, beaches, parks and environmental projects. Council rate notices are issued twice each year, including in August for the July-to-December billing period.
The disagreement therefore involves a broader question about how local government services should be funded while keeping costs manageable for agricultural producers. Cane representatives are seeking attention to the effect that increased rates can have on rural properties and farming families.
The issue has particular importance in Mackay because the region has a long-standing connection with sugar production. The local industry supports growers, mills, transport operators and other businesses connected to cane production and processing. The financial health of individual farms can therefore have consequences beyond individual properties.
The current dispute does not mean that council services are being withdrawn or that the sugar industry itself is facing immediate closure. Rather, the disagreement concerns the level of council rates being charged to rural properties and the financial impact that growers say the increases are having.
Mackay Canegrowers is the local organisation representing sugarcane growers across the Mackay and Plane Creek regions and provides advocacy and support on issues including marketing, water, electricity, transport, environment and farm business management.
The story published today highlights the growing tension between the needs of local government and the financial pressures experienced by agricultural producers. For Mackay's cane-growing community, the rates increase has become an important local economic issue.
The latest report features comments from representatives of the sugar industry and focuses specifically on the effect of Mackay Regional Council rates on cane growers.
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