PROSPERITY COMES VIA THE EFFORT OF MANY HANDS

BY DAN GALLIGAN
CEO CANEGROWERS

Agriculture employs more than 14% of Queensland’s workforce. This is a huge contribution to the Queensland economy, particularly in our regional towns and cities.

However, employment statistics can mask the huge number of small businesses and associated employees who work for our industry through trades, resources, services, etc. From tyre fitters, to sandwich makers, from sugar traders to boiler makers, not everyone is in the field or hands-on with either plant or product. But there are many people and businesses that rely on the success of our industry for their own financial wellbeing.

Thankfully, despite the boom-bust nature of our commodity, and the impacts of cyclones and droughts, the sugar industry has been the backbone of hundreds of Queensland communities for well over a century.

This is never more obvious than at harvest time when we can literally see the people in the paddocks and the industry is humming with activity.

There are around 23,000 people employed in the raw sugar industry in Australia, about 4,500 of these are in the mills, with numbers expanded during the maintenance season.

It goes without saying that there are many quiet achievers. People who don’t seek a profile or status but contribute every day to making your business work and hopefully share in your success.

In recent years we learnt the hard way just how critical our workforce is, as truck and haul out driver shortages impacted our ability to get the crop off. And these challenges remain in almost every district to varying degrees.

Hopefully, with Covid now behind us and traveller numbers starting to return to pre-covid levels, these shortages will soon become a thing of the past.

Based on the feedback CANEGROWERS is getting through our nationwide workforce attraction strategy, we should take heart that people are attracted to work in our regions. But motivating these people to move and try a role in agriculture is difficult and it will take a sustained effort focused on the significant opportunities that exist for a diverse and interesting career for anyone who want to have go.

Vale Kerry Latter

It is with deep sadness this month that we farewelled our CANEGROWERS friend and colleague, Kerry Latter.

Taken so rapidly by one of the most insidious of diseases, pancreatic cancer, Kerry continued to work for growers right up until his final days, demonstrating his deep affection and attachment to the industry.

A high-profile figure within the industry and community, yet a deeply private person, Kerry’s passion and commitment to the sugarcane industry and CANEGROWERS was obvious.

While he had a diverse career before coming to CANEGROWERS, it was within this industry and this organisation that he found both purpose, commitment and, in his own words, a second family.

Kerry’s life was celebrated at a ceremony in Mackay on 28 June.

The industry is lucky to have many people deeply committed to doing what they can to improve conditions for us all.

As we draw on their reserves to see through a successful harvest, let’s take a moment to acknowledge those who toil away day after day, both in the paddocks and behind the scenes, to ensure we share in the success of this wonderful industry.