Mr Anderton commented that the current round of anti-ethanol lobbying in the media and the Australian community is a re-run of the US industry of the 1990's. The sentiment and the misinformation continue to be fuelled by the major oil companies and fuel industry. Under an ethanol industry development in Australia the major fuel companies would be likely to lose market share. The biggest threat comes from the communities that are most affected by high fuel prices - the regional and rural communities. Indcor's position is that at 10% ethanol blend in petrol there is 1,800 million litres capacity in Australia and no one can put forward any credible argument why an excise free, local supply scenario similar to the LPG gas industry can not be put in place.
An excise free position for locally produced ethanol is Government Policy and Indcor are confident that the Federal Cabinet will honour their 2001 election platform on renewable energy. Indcor has reiterated the biofuel industry position by suggesting that on current projections the US ethanol industry will be bigger than the total Australian motor spirit (petrol) industry by 2010. As a major rural economy importing substantial crude oil, with the associated greenhouse gas issues to address, there is every reason to develop sustainable solutions with extensive environmental benefits, reducing cost and reliance on the unstable fossil fuel supply into the Australian energy market.
P Anderton CEO & CHAIRMAN
The farmer gets his fuel sans road tax and the producer sells without tax. What the Govt giveth the Govt will taketh away.
