General News
26 May, 2026
Ethanol needs backing
AS the uncertainty over fuel supplies and prices continues, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) MP Shane Knuth is having another shot at trying to legislate the state’s commitment to using more ethanol to supplement fossil fuels.
The Member for Hill has tabled the Liquid Fuel Supply (Ethanol and Other Biofuels Mandate) Amendment Bill 2026 in parliament – saying it will “finally enforce and strengthen Queensland’s failing ethanol and biodiesel mandate, while boosting regional jobs, supporting Australian agriculture and reducing dependence on imported fuel.”
Mr Knuth has also assured his followers that the KAP’s latest attempt at mandating a higher use of ethanol and biodiesel is “not an idea we’ve thrown together to jump on the fuel publicity bandwagon – KAP have put consecutive ethanol bills to parliament for decades before it came to a crisis.”
Mr Knuth told The Observer the KAP’s latest bill has the support of major agricultural and manufacturing bodies, including the National Farmers’ Federation, GrainGrowers, Australian Sugar Manufacturers and Canegrowers.
He said the bill – if made into legislation – would ensure a clear, mandated minimum content of biofuel to be used.
“Most people think when they pull up at the bowser and buy E10 they are actually getting 10% ethanol. In most cases they are not even close,” Mr Knuth said.
“This Bill fixes that by ensuring E10 actually contains a minimum of 9% ethanol, introducing enforceable minimum biofuel content requirements and slapping serious penalties on fuel companies that refuse to comply.
“Queensland’s current ethanol mandate is a joke. It is weak, full of loopholes, riddled with exemptions and barely enforced,” he said.
Read More: Far North