Successive governments deserve the cane after 20 years of ethanol ignorance
September 18, 2025
KAP Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter has applauded the Albanese’s $1 billion “Future Made in Australia” biofuels announcement but said that successive former Labor and LNP Governments deserve the “cane” for failing to see the ethanol potential and letting oil companies run rampant around the country.
“Prior to 1992, 98 percent of our fuel requirements were produced in Australia,” Mr Katter said.
“Then Keating got control out from Hawke, and free marketed the Australian economy and it was like taking the steering wheel out of the car. The industry collapsed. Costello was just as much to blame.
“For 20 years, both major parties have spat in the face of ethanol. They’ve ignored the farmers, ignored the mills, ignored the science. Now, with the stroke of a pen, they’ve suddenly found religion in biofuels. Well, it’s better late than never, and we thank them for their efforts here,” Mr Katter said.
In the last parliamentary term, Mr Katter moved his Sovereign Fuel Security Bill, which would see Australia aim to become approximately 80 percent self-sufficient in fuel, reducing dependence on imports. He warned that without serious action, Australia’s fuel supply is vulnerable, fuel and fertiliser costs will remain crushing for farmers, and Australia’s industrial and regional communities will suffer.
“Farmers are paying 100 percent increases on two major cost input items, fuel and fertiliser. Electricity has also gone up 300 percent.
“You just can’t keep farming under these conditions; we must bring down fuel and fertiliser costs if farmers are to survive.
"Ten hectares of sugar cane produces over 10,000 litres of ethanol, and for every hectare of cane planted, 72 ton of carbon dioxide is pulled from the atmosphere. This stuff is pure magic. We can replace imported oil with home-grown fuel, cut emissions, and build up regional economies all at once.
“We need an enforceable ethanol mandate, not another round of studies and subsidies that vanish after the election. Every other major country on earth, including Brazil and the United States, mandate ethanol. So why are we the last?
“We need ethanol, and we need it now. But we need to make sure we don’t see a repeat of the ethanol mandate in Queensland where none of the oil companies that owned the petrol stations provided the infrastructure needed to offer ethanol. It should be legislated that these service stations will need be retrofitted to have ethanol capability as part of any biofuel industry.”
Mr Katter warned that Australia’s fuel storage supplies have diminished over the years which puts Australia at a national security risk, further demonstrating a sovereign fuel security necessity.
“The Government has said we have 30 days fuel supply, but I don’t even think it will last three days if there’s a situation where our fuel trade pathways are cut off. We must have supply of electricity and fuel if we are to survive as a country.”
“When the NRMA blew the whistle on this extraordinary situation, Angus Taylor under direction of his cabinet, put our fuel supplies in Texas, USA. I mean, how utterly absurd! That shows you the level of competence in our governments.”
ENDS
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/labor-earmarks-11bn-for-future-made-in-australia-biofuels-industry/news-story/e24cf62bada7edf93fe5c32c57db1837
https://www.bobkatter.com.au/govts-inaction-on-fuel-security-leaves-australia-vulnerable
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-22/government-to-buy-fuel-secure-national-stockpile/12173276
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