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23 August 2007 Media Release CHAMPIONING ETHANOL PRODUCTION IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA Representatives from a group of companies that champions regional Australia visited the Manildra Group plant in Bomaderry today, to view the ethanol production process, and discuss opportunities for economic development and employment linked to the mandating of E10 fuel. The "Champions of the Bush" (COTB) group involves companies Australia wide who operate predominantly in regional areas. They employ in excess of 10,000 people around the country, and are committed to promoting regional economic development in country areas. COTB Chairman Richard Rijs, who is the Managing Director of Patties Foods in Bairnsdale Victoria, said that the visit provided the COTB executives with an opportunity to better appreciate the potential benefits of ethanol production to regional Australia. "What we have seen here today is an integrated approach to primary production being value added, to the benefit of the environment, the national economy, and the local workforce," Mr Rijs said. "We see great potential for the production of ethanol in this way around regional Australia." COTB members included PFD Foodservices, Brown Brothers Wines, NAB, Ritchies Supermarkets, Rivergum Marketing, Gippsland Secured Investments, Telstra Countrywide, Patties and Manildra. Mr Rijs said that the group welcomed the Manildra Group to COTB, and commended the Honan Family for its leadership in regional Australia. Representatives from the companies flew into Nowra from various eastern Australia state locations on Thursday to spend the day with ManildraÕs Managing Director John Honan and General Manager Brian Hanley. They inspected the plant operations and met to discuss the ways to expand ethanol fuel mandating in all states of Australia. Mr
Rijs said that COTB would ask its membership base to make further representations
in relation to replicate the NSW E10 fuel mandating in other states,
and support the pursuit of the economic development and environmental
benefits of ethanol production in appropriate locations in regional
Australia.
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