INDUSTRIAL
HEMP
176. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the Minister for Regional Development:
I refer the minister to the regional
dryland crop agronomy seed culture trials and harvest survey overseen by
HempGro and financed by government funding in the financial year 2018–19.
(1) Does the
government intend to release the findings of the trials and/or survey, or does
it have a timetable for the release of that information by any third parties?
(2) Were any
similar trials or studies undertaken or completed since 2018 and 2019; and, if
so, what plans, if any, are there to release that information?
(3) Are there any
plans to continue such research into the future, and is the minister able to share
those plans with the house?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the
member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(3) Member,
on Tuesday I did provide information about the trials that we are currently
doing, so the answer to that part of the
question, obviously, is yes, as per the answer we provided then. In relation to
the particular studies done under the
auspices of HempGro, I am advised that information on all available results to
date in this research area have been given in numerous forums, including open
forums of growers in April 2021 and an emerging industries food
conference in Darwin in May 2021. Interviews were given on regional ABC and results were presented on all hemp trials
at a conference in Fremantle in February 2021—although it says ''2020''—and
at a symposium in March 2021.
Both events in Fremantle received
media coverage. Member, I do think this sort of information should be placed on
the website so that it is properly available, so I have today asked the
Department of Primary Industries and
Regional Development to make sure that it collates these reports and the
material is available on the website. Obviously, the 2021 work I referred
to yesterday is still underway, but we certainly will be presenting that at the
March 2022 third biennial Australian Industrial Hemp Conference.