Phase 1 Summary Report

Status:	Draft
Source file:	01 Scoping/phase-1-summary-report.md
Sensitivity review:	Completed
Purpose:	This report summarises Phase 1 Scoping for the Industrial Hemp Environmental and Economic Assessment. No secondary research, primary research, evidence collection or business case conclusions are included. For all future phases, the Granite Borders region is defined as current Tenterfield Shire, NSW, and the historic Stanthorpe Shire area in Queensland prior to its amalgamation into Southern Downs Regional Council.

Phase 1 Outputs Completed

Document	Purpose
01-project-charter.md	Defines purpose, scope, objectives, perspectives, deliverables, constraints and decision gates.
02-question-hierarchy.md	Defines the research question hierarchy and evidence thresholds.
03-assumptions-register.md	Identifies assumptions that must be tested.
04-data-requirements-register.md	Defines required datasets and expected source types.
05-stakeholder-map.md	Identifies stakeholder categories and engagement priorities.
06-primary-research-plan.md	Designs later Phase 3 interview and engagement activity.
07-secondary-research-plan.md	Designs later Phase 2 source collection and evidence review.
08-source-priority-register.md	Ranks source types by reliability, relevance and evidence quality.
09-analysis-framework.md	Defines how later evidence will be assessed.
10-business-case-structure.md	Designs the final report structure without findings.
phase-1-gaps-and-risks-review.md	Challenges the project design and records risks, blind spots and readiness.

Questions That Need Answering

The project must answer:

1. Is there genuine and verifiable market demand for industrial hemp products?
2. Can industrial hemp be produced profitably within Australian supply chains?
3. Is industrial hemp agronomically suitable for the Granite Borders region?
4. Does industrial hemp provide meaningful environmental benefits relative to existing and realistic alternative land uses?
5. If industrial hemp is commercially viable and environmentally beneficial, what role should Granite Borders Landcare play?

Phase 1 added specific design questions about product categories, processor access, buyer terms, scale requirements, opportunity costs, environmental comparators, regulatory obligations and evidence thresholds.

Evidence Required

The most important evidence categories are:

• Product-specific demand, prices, volumes and specifications.
• Producer gross margins, yields, input costs, labour, machinery, water and freight.
• Processing capacity, fees, intake requirements and minimum viable volumes.
• Regulatory and licensing requirements across NSW, Queensland and Commonwealth settings.
• Regional climate, soil, land-use and comparator enterprise data for current Tenterfield Shire and historic Stanthorpe Shire, with broader Southern Downs data used only where clearly labelled.
• Environmental evidence for soil, water, biodiversity, chemical use, emissions and lifecycle impacts.
• Landcare member priorities, organisational risk appetite and strategic role options.

Sources to Use

Phase 2 should prioritise:

• Government sources: ABS, ABARES, DAFF, NSW DPI, Queensland DAF, AgriFutures, CSIRO and relevant local government sources.
• Academic sources: peer-reviewed agronomy, environmental and lifecycle studies.
• Industry sources: processors, buyers, exporters, manufacturers and industry associations, treated with bias controls.
• Market sources: trade statistics, price schedules, purchase terms and market reports where methods are transparent.
• International sources: Canada, United States, Europe and New Zealand, used only with transferability caveats.

Stakeholders to Contact Later

Priority Phase 3 stakeholders should include:

• Existing hemp growers.
• Non-hemp producers and potential adopters.
• Hemp processors.
• Buyers, manufacturers and exporters.
• Agronomists and researchers.
• NSW and Queensland government/regulatory contacts.
• Freight, machinery and contractor providers.
• Landcare members and local community stakeholders.

Assumptions Requiring Testing

Key assumptions include:

• Demand exists and is commercially accessible to regional producers.
• Hemp can be profitable at realistic yields and prices.
• Processing infrastructure exists or can be accessed economically.
• Local climate, soil and water conditions are suitable.
• Environmental benefits are measurable and exceed realistic alternatives.
• Hemp aligns with Granite Borders Landcare's objectives and risk appetite.
• Legal and licensing requirements are manageable.
• Benefits and risks are not evenly distributed across stakeholders.

Information Gaps

The main information gaps at the end of Phase 1 are:

• Verified buyer demand and transaction evidence.
• Local or comparable production economics.
• Product-specific processor access and cost.
• Freight and logistics economics.
• Environmental evidence transferable to the Granite Borders region.
• Comparator land-use baselines.
• GBLC member and leadership views on organisational involvement.

Evidence Classification Approach

All significant findings in later phases should be classified by:

• Assessment perspective: Producer, Supply Chain, Granite Borders Landcare and Environment.
• Evidence strength: High, Medium, Low or Unknown.
• Confidence level: High, Medium, Low or Unknown.
• Geography: Direct, Comparable, Background or Not applicable.
• Product category.
• Source type and independence.
• Follow-up required.

Formal Readiness Review

Is the project ready for Phase 2?

Yes, subject to approval. The research design is ready for Phase 2 Secondary Research.

Conditions for Readiness

• Phase 2 must remain evidence collection and evidence assessment, not recommendation writing.
• The evidence register should be updated from the first source reviewed.
• Sources must be tagged by geography, product category and assessment perspective.
• Promotional or advocacy claims should be logged as claims requiring verification, not accepted as findings.
• Difficult evidence areas should be tackled early to avoid building the project around easy but low-value material.

Unresolved Issues

• The Granite Borders definition is now clarified, but future data collection still needs a practical mapping approach for historic Stanthorpe Shire where current datasets use Southern Downs Regional Council.
• Product categories must be separated before market conclusions are attempted.
• Environmental comparators need to be prioritised.
• Primary research targets cannot be finalised until Phase 2 evidence gaps are clearer.

Evidence Categories Likely to Be Most Difficult

• Actual prices, purchase volumes and contract terms.
• Processor economics and capacity.
• Local grower gross margins and failed-case evidence.
• Comparable environmental and lifecycle evidence.
• Transferable soil carbon and biodiversity evidence.

Primary Research Activities to Prioritise Later

1. Processor and buyer interviews.
2. Existing grower interviews.
3. Non-adopter and comparator enterprise interviews.
4. Agronomist, researcher and government interviews.
5. Landcare member and community engagement.
6. Contractor, machinery and freight interviews.

Phase 1 Conclusion

Phase 1 Scoping is complete. The project should stop here until approval is given to commence Phase 2 Secondary Research.