All sweet for investment

tainty in cane supply so we can underpin those types of investments,” he said.

“I think we have a very clear meeting of the minds and underpinning it all is the joint goal of no net loss of cane.”

It comes weeks after he announced an investment freeze due to concerns about diminished cane supply.

Mr Barry said the company was about 14 months away from acting on planned investment at the Mulgrave mill.

The proposed SDA covers about 840ha south of Wrights Creek, taking in homes, cane farms, rail lines, a turf farm, a flower farm and a section of the Meringa Station

But the impact on canegrowing families who could be forced from their farms remains uncertain.

Mr Pitt said the AuditorGeneral would work with individuals.

“The idea of no net loss of cane means the areas that cur- rently aren’t under cane production may become cane production and that’s an exciting thing for the sugar industry,” he said.

“These are long-term plans and there will also be an element of buffering built in around an industrial area to ensure people aren’t directly affected and living next door to a factory.”

LNP Candidate for Mulgrave Karina Samperi, who tabled a petition against the SDA in State Parliament last month, said she can’t see how the SDA would work without losing sugarcane land. “Until we see the final new map. I can’t see how it will work,” she said. “Why do we need industrial land when we still have 200ha of the Edmonton Industrial Park waiting for businesses to come in?” editorial@