Join the conversation: Community meeting tomorrow to shape the future of Mossman after mill closure

An important community meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, September 4, to discuss the Mossman Region Transition Plan in the wake of the Mossman Mill's liquidation in March this year.

The meeting is set to take place from 1pm to 4pm at the Port Douglas Community Hall and is open to the public. Following the meeting tomorrow, drop-in sessions will be held at the Mossman Memorial Bowls Club on Thursday, September 5, from 10am to 2pm.

The Mossman Transition Plan is an activity of the $12.1m Mossman Transition Program which was established by the Queensland Government in March 2024.

The focus of the initial rapid response is to help mill workers find new jobs, access upskilling or training as well as counselling services.

The funding was split to enable growers to harvest their 2024 crop and the community to plan for the future: $6m was allocated to transport cane to Mulgrave Mill in Gordonvale while $5.9m has been earmarked for the development of the Mossman Transition Plan. 

Facilitated by Scyne Advisory, a national public purpose advisory body with offices in six capital cities, including Cairns, the meetings aim to engage the community in discussions surrounding the new transition plan. 

Douglas Shire Council has reported that Scyne is actively collaborating with stakeholders to pinpoint essential projects spanning agriculture, tourism, business, and the broader community.

CANEGROWERS Mossman manager Evelyn Matthews said it was good the meetings were taking place.

“It’s good for people to have a say,” she said. “We have been calling for this for a while. I hope they clarify what they are after. It’s a very big job in a short amount of time. 

“Everything hinges on it so it’s important that it’s done properly. It would be good if it was done quickly but it’s got to be done right. 

“It will be interesting to see how much is in there for agriculture. Growers are feeling unsure about what will be in the plan, it may go beyond agriculture, but we hope there’s an agriculture to agriculture approach.”

While the wheels of transition turn, cane cutting is in full swing around Mossman.

Ms Matthews said the process of transporting the cane to Mulgrave Mill in Gordonvale for processing was complex and not as much cane was being moved as had been hoped.

“We’ve been hauling cane for a while now and there’s a lot of moving parts – too many moving parts. There’s been a lot of delays, we are not getting as much cane off as we’d like. We are half-way from where we thought we’d be.”

The Mossman Transition Plan will be delivered by the end of November 2024.