Committee Details

About the Inquiry 

Inquiry Flyer

On 11 June 2025, the Primary Industries and Resources Committee resolved to self-refer an inquiry into sugarcane bioenergy opportunities in Queensland with the following terms of reference:

1. The role and benefits of sugar cogeneration in Queensland’s electricity generation mix, including existing capacity and potential for expansion.
2. Market, regulatory, and infrastructure barriers to increased bioenergy production from sugar.
3. Opportunities to align sugar biofuel production with national security and Defence liquid fuel needs.
4. Policy and funding mechanisms to de-risk investment in cogeneration and biofuels by manufacturers and growers, including examples of successful policy implementation from overseas and other industries.
5. The R&D agenda to underpin a world leading sugar-led bioenergy industry.
6. Strategic land use and regional development considerations affecting cane growing and sugar manufacturing capacity.
7. Benefits for growers in diversification opportunities.
8. Consideration of food verses fuel.

submissions

The committee invites submissions on any aspect of the Inquiry, from all interested parties. Guidelines for making a submission to a parliamentary committee are available here: Guide to making a submission. Please ensure your submissions meets these requirements.

Click here to make an online submission to the Inquiry. 

The closing date for written submissions is Wednesday, 8 October 2025 at 5pm.

Submissions must include:

• the author’s full name
• if the submission is made on behalf of an organisation, the level of approval (e.g. a local branch, executive committee or national organisation),

and 

• at least two of the following:
• email address
• mailing address, and
• daytime telephone number.

Please ensure your submission includes the above or it may not be considered by the committee.

Please note: Your name and submission may be published on the committee’s inquiry webpage, which will mean it can be viewed on the internet. You can request for your name to be withheld from your published submission, or for both your name and your submission to be kept confidential (i.e. not published). Decisions about whether and how submissions are published are at the discretion of the committee.

portfolio briefing

The committee held a public portfolio briefing with the Department of Primary Industries and sugarcane stakeholders on 30 April 2025, which helped inform the establishment of the inquiry. A transcript of the briefing is available here.

submissions and PUBLIC PROCEEDINGS

The committee intends to hold public hearings on the inquiry which may include hearings in regional areas. Details of these inquiry activities will be made available in due course. 

Further information

Further information including written briefings, correspondence, response to submissions, transcripts and answers to questions taken on notice are available under the Related Publications tab.

Committee’s report

The committee intends to table an interim report on 15 December 2025, and a final report on 12 June 2026. The reports will be published here.

Once the committee’s report has been tabled, the Government has three months to respond to the report’s recommendations (if any). At that time, the Government Response will be published here.

timeline