Message from the Chief Executive Officer

MESSAGE FROM THE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

This is the first year of implementing SRA’s 2021-2026 strategic plan.

The increasing challenges that millers and growers face is the driving reason the industry depends on SRA to be at the forefront in innovation and efficiency as a research, development and adoption (RD&A) organisation. The challenges are many - input costs are rising substantially, there is ongoing seasonal variability, consequential impacts on existing endemic threats, soil health and water quality, as well as the ever-present risks of new incursions.

Research and development have always played an important role in keeping the industry profitable, sustainable, and resilient, and the role of research and development in helping the industry step up to future challenges will be no less important. This is particularly the case when considering crop protection, pest and disease management, and variety development. For example, biosecurity risks have gained much public attention this year due to concerns about foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease for the livestock sector. Plant biosecurity is equally important, and one of SRA’s most important investment roles is to develop mitigants for biosecurity risks to the sugarcane industry. Further innovations in variety development will also be underpinned by leveraging technologies and techniques that increase selection efficiency and response. Pleasingly, 2021/22 saw the release of several new varieties which are showing promise for yield and resilience - QS10-445 and SRA38A were approved in the Southern district, SRA36A in the Herbert and SRA37A in the Far North. Multiple varieties were also approved for production in additional regions, with SRA9A, SRA26A, SRA32A and SRA34A, all candidates for broadscale adoption. Whilst many of the challenges and opportunities we are facing today are not new to agriculture or even the Australian sugar industry, the global and regulatory environment is becoming more complex. SRA’s focus and programs, must catalyse breakthrough technological and scientific innovations to develop rapid response and recovery capabilities and long-term sustainable advantages in productivity and profitability. This year, SRA has refocused its research priorities in alignment with our Research Missions. In the past 12 months we have built a new foundation for research investment, with a renewed emphasis on developing dynamic and targeted research and private sector collaborations, rethinking our investment and funding models, and reviewing how we monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our portfolio to ensure it meets the needs of industry and our investors. Ongoing and local level engagement with industry to establish and review research priorities and impact, remains pivotal to ensuring our research remains relevant and impactful. This year we significantly strengthened our approach to local industry engagement with the implementation of our district engagement model, embedding the five new District Managers into their roles, and developing specific District Plans designed to address key constraints affecting productivity in each local region. Building on this local level engagement, SRA’s third strategic pillar is Translation Expertise, which recognises that the job of delivering value from research does not finish with the publication of a report, but that an important next step is to clearly communicate the research findings to drive implementation and adoption. During 2021/22 we delivered research information to growers through a range of on-line and face-to-face events, including webinars, field days, training sessions and workshops. SRA has also improved the content contained within our variety guides for industry, recognising the importance of appropriate variety selection to productivity.

Roslyn Baker

Research and development have always played an important role in keeping the industry profitable, sustainable, and resilient, and the role of research and development in helping the industry step up to future challenges will be no less important.

Pleasingly, stakeholder surveys, undertaken in the final quarter of 2021/22, have indicated that growers and millers are feeling more satisfied with the work of SRA. We know there is more to do to continue growing stakeholder satisfaction and it will remain a strong focus for our teams over the coming year. In partnership with industry, SRA has also been examining some exciting opportunities for the future with the development of a Sugar Industry Roadmap. Sugar Plus – Fuelling the Future of Food, Energy and Fabrication identifies a bright future, with potential to unlock vast opportunities through the bioeconomy. The direction provided by the roadmap will underpin the industry’s research priorities and was an improvement opportunity recommended in SRA’s 2020 Independent Performance Review. Having released the roadmap, we will continue working with industry organisations to implement the actions identified through the process; strengthening the industry’s long-term viability through better business-as-usual, adding value to current operations, and creating new value. While undertaking the roadmap development, we have also progressed feasibility studies into diversification opportunities including green hydrogen and compostable bioplastics to understand how the economics stack up. This year has seen SRA deliver a financial surplus through delivery on our savings plan, which includes reduced expenses and workforce savings. However, the year has not been without its challenges with delays in capital expenditure flowing from the unavailability of trades and supply chain issues for equipment. SRA also had a mixed year on the safety front, with our key metric of total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) moving from 24 at the beginning of the year to 43 by year end. This is a disappointing result as we have invested substantial effort towards improving our safety performance throughout the year. Our efforts did result in some positive trends emerging by the end of the financial year with SRA’s serious injury frequency rate remaining at zero against the 2021 Queensland agriculture industry benchmark rate of 9.9. Further, SRA has achieved 11 months free from lost time injuries and seven months free from recordable injuries. While we are now noticing some positive trends our TRIFR result certainly reminds us that our focus on safety must remain unwavering. Importantly, SRA signed a new 10-year Statutory Funding Contract with the Commonwealth, committing to new performance principles, as well as new guidelines for funding agreements, knowledge transfer and

Field Days returned to SRA's Stations in 2022 allowing grassroots engagement with growers. commercialisation, and stakeholder engagement. We also signed an extension for the Sugarcane Research, Development and Extension Funding Deed with the Queensland Government to October 2022. The Deed provides funding to SRA for sugar research development activities. We look forward to signing a new Deed with the State for funding through to 2028. During the year, rainfall events brought considerable disruption to operations, particularly with extensive flood impacting our New South Wales operations, water damage at our Indooroopilly site necessitating repairs and closure of some parts of the facility, and flooding around Woodford forcing the postponement of industry workshops and events. Against this challenging backdrop, we continued to support the industry with limited disruption to our diagnostics and screening services. In presenting this Annual Report, I thank the SRA team who have been through another year of change and transition and continue to demonstrate their passion and commitment to the Australian sugarcane industry. Our work is possible thanks to the contribution and support of our grower and miller investors, who are the focus of all that we do at SRA. Many growers and millers also contribute significant time and energy in SRA activities, such as participation in engagement sessions, meetings and advisory groups, and assisting with on-farm trials. And for the ongoing support provided to SRA, I would also like to acknowledge and thank CANEGROWERS, the Australian Sugar Milling Council, Australian Cane Farmers Association, AgForce, regional industry organisations, productivity services providers and our research collaborators, including commercial entities and research institutions.

Thank you also to the following for their co-investments into SRA: the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (Reef Trust); the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries; the Queensland Department of Environment and Science; the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia; the Great Barrier Reef Foundation; and the Australian Research Council.

Finally, I thank the SRA Board for their strategic advice and support throughout the year. I look forward to continuing to work with you all to improve SRA and deliver on our strategic plan to ensure we have a sustainable and innovative SRA for the Australian sugarcane industry.