Shared risk. Shared resolve.
Some of the most important advances in Queensland’s sugar industry were funded not by government or corporations, but by growers themselves through collective investment.
Growers repeatedly chose to pool resources to support initiatives no individual farm could deliver alone. Defence funds, levies and shared investments helped protect growers during disputes and periods of instability.
These decisions required trust, discipline and a long-term view of the industry’s future.
Backing advocacy and reform
This willingness to invest did not end with the early decades of the industry. Following deregulation, growers again backed CANEGROWERS financially to support sustained advocacy, legal challenges and reform efforts aimed at restoring balance and transparency.
These contributions enabled the organisation to pursue long campaigns that individual growers could not sustain alone.
A defining principle
Collective investment reflects a core belief that cooperation delivers greater security than fragmentation.
In a complex, deregulated industry, the ability for growers to back their organisation remains essential to effective representation.