Mackay Sugar has announced it will discontinue its Community Working Group (CWG) – Tablelands Cane Transportation, which had been appointed to help achieve safe outcomes for communities affected by the truck hauling of cane from the Tablelands to Mossman. 

The announcement comes two weeks after CWG Chairman David Donohue resigned, citing what he described as some within the group ‘maintaining what seems to be an entrenched and aggressive stance’.

Mackay Sugar Communications Manager, Lorelei van Dalen, said that whilst the CWG would be disbanded, the community consultation process with Mount Molloy and Julatten residents would continue through a short series of community planning workshops in November.

“We (Mackay Sugar) developed the CWG to foster open communication between the Mount Molloy and Julatten communities and Mackay Sugar, and create a united approach to the planning of the transportation of Tablelands cane to Mossman Mill, to ensure it is safe and efficient and is conducted in a manner that reduces impact on the Mount Molloy and Julatten communities,” she said.

“We remain committed to working with the Mount Molloy and Julatten communities and developing a transportation strategy that takes into account the various concerns of residents.”

Ms van Dalen said the workshops would involve a number of Mount Molloy and Julatten community representatives, as well as representatives from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland Police Service and Tablelands Regional Council.

“The workshops will enable us to collaboratively explore community concerns associated with the transportation of Tablelands cane and identify potential solutions,” she said.

“Once we have worked through the outcomes of the workshops, we will report back to the community via a community information session and various other communications.”

The CWG was formed as part of Mackay Sugar’s community consultation process associated with the (17 April) announcement regarding Mackay Sugar and Tableland Canegrowers Limited entering into Cane Supply Agreements with cane growers on the Atherton Tablelands.

The agreement will result in approximately 700,000 tonnes of cane being supplied from the Atherton Tablelands to Mackay Sugar’s Mossman Mill from May 2014.