No doubt everyone has been following the news of the proposed new wool scour for Blackall.
There have been lots of articles written about it. The ABC, Queensland Country Life, they are all worthy of a read. Please find Q-Wool’s Press Release here in full.
QWool thanks the Queensland Government for its support for the Blackall Wool Scour Project
Queensland Wool Processors Pty Ltd (commonly known as QWool) acknowledges and is excited by the grant of $940,000 from the new Queensland LNP Government, Minister Perrett and member for Gregory Sean Dillon to support the final stages of planning and business feasibility for the proposed Blackall Wool Scour.
Following this announcement of this support, QWool’s Chairman Mr John Abbott AM said:-
“For more than 100 years the wool industry was an economic miracle, giving Australia one of the highest living standards in the world. The Australian economy boomed on the national income from wool exports. It is a common expression looking back to the 1950’s and 1960’s that Australia “rode on the sheep’s back”. Now is the time for the wool industry to regain its economic strength in Regional Australia and increase its contribution to the National economy.
Exporting greasy wool without any value-add in Australia is not the pathway to achieve this objective. We must bring wool processing back to Australia! QWool’s proposal to build a state-of-the-art wool scour in Blackall in Western Queensland is the vehicle to make this game changing objective a reality.
We will be able to reduce the costs to our customers by substantially simplifying the logistics chain. We will be able to guarantee that the customers are getting pure and unadulterated Australian grown and processed fine merino wool. We will also reduce the sovereign risk of industry disruption that could potentially arise because 95.6% of Australian wool is processed overseas including 82% going to China! These are all compelling reasons for change!
QWool thanks the Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett MP, and member for Gregory Sean Dillon MP for their advocacy to support this project, and the new LNP Government delivering on this election pledge. It demonstrates a clear commitment to the rural industries in regional and remote areas of Queensland, and to the return of manufacturing to regional Queensland.”
The estimated cost of the plant in Blackall will be in the order of $65 million. On the presumption that QWool achieves a positive Final Investment Decision by the middle of 2025, construction can commence immediately, with first production likely by the middle of 2027.
Proposed layout of the QWool Blackall Scour
The estimated direct employment numbers are expected to be 48, most of whom will be based in and around Blackall. Indirect employment increase for the region could see an increase of up to 100 people These will be well paying skilled manufacturing jobs, giving new pathways for locals and in particular schools leavers.
Management, logistics & Admin
Day Work
Shift Work total FTE on a 4 panel roster
Total Establishment
10
10
28
48
Wool Scouring is the first stage of wool processing. The new Blackall Wool Scour has been designed to process up to 14 million kilogram of greasy wool per annum. The product output will be approximately 9.1 million kilograms per annum of scoured wool, and 1 million kilograms per annum of wool grease (Lanoline).
Mr Abbott also said that:-
“The new Blackall scour will establish the standard for large scale wool scouring in Australia, and hopefully will be the model for many other similar plants in Eastern Australia. Once the Blackall Scour is developed, QWool intend to develop the next phase of wool processing to produce wool Tops (the pre-cursor to the spinning process), also to be located in Queensland.”
Watch out next week for an update on Wool
Representatives from Q Wool have been back to Blackall, and are off to Canberra in February for more negotiations.
