Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I rise to highlight work being done in regional Queensland to transform agriculture and manufacturing as we know it. In Camooweal, just north of Mount Isa near the Northern Territory border, a dedicated group is helping overcome a prickly issue, and their success will have worldwide implications. It's a hardy plant, and from painful experience I can tell you that it's spiky. But for millennia Indigenous people have extracted resin from spinifex to use as a powerful adhesive to fix axe heads and as a waterproofing agent.

Today Colin Saltmere and the Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation have combined ancient knowledge with cutting-edge modern technology to harness the true genius of this humble and plentiful Aussie native plant. By perfecting harvesting techniques, streamlining the resin extraction process and using some of the University of Queensland's top scientists, they've isolated the qualities of spinifex to create the toughest nanocellulose reinforcing agent ever reported. This product can be used as a strengthening additive for gels, cement, paper and cardboard. Other spinifex compounds can be used in beauty products, some resistant wood treatments and sunscreen. Using spinifex gel for wound care and as an injectable dermal filler are also progressing well through trial phases. There is also an exciting agricultural application, which will be an international game-changer once final testing is complete. At the same time, in Mackay, family business Townsend Industries have developed a method to separate different elements of sugar cane plants, which can be used to create biodegradable food containers and give farmers another income stream.

These are just two examples of the ingenuity that abounds in regional Queensland, which is wholeheartedly supported by the Morrison government. I commend these small organisations for their big ideas.