More than 60 workers gathered in Port Douglas on Wednesday to hear from liquidator John Goggin and Queensland's State Development Department after the Mossman Sugar Mill entered liquidation. Of the 75 remaining employees, 55 were told their services are no longer needed, with only 20 skeleton staff retained for seven weeks to wind up the facility.
The mill, one of Australia's oldest, was placed into voluntary administration in November 2023. A last-minute buyer fell through, leaving workers in uncertainty. The mill typically employed about 100 workers, plus 30 seasonal staff during peak crush, but numbers had dwindled due to contract endings, attrition, and resignations.
Process control engineer Paul Atkins, 36, who started as an apprentice 18 years ago, said he faces hard conversations about his family's future. Craig Butland, 45, who has worked at the mill for 28 years, warned that local businesses—coffee shops, clothing suppliers, hardware stores, ice manufacturers, and tradies—will feel the impact, especially after recent floods.
Close to 90 cane growers who supplied the mill also face uncertainty. The mill has about 5,000 hectares of farmland under sugarcane, but the crop now has nowhere to go, as sending it to the nearest facility in Gordonvale, 83 kilometres away, is uneconomical. Fourth-generation farmer Ben McClelland said it has been gut-wrenching, with growers told in June to plant cane and in November that there was no mill.
The Queensland Government has pledged $12.1 million to help transition Mossman away from the sugar industry. Workforce Australia facilitator Tamilyn Brennan said mill workers could find local trade jobs but may need to travel at least an hour to the Cassowary Coast, Tablelands, or Cairns. Atkins fears having to travel far from family but acknowledged it might be necessary.
