Secondary Research
Phase 2 builds the evidence base before primary research, strategic analysis or final business case drafting. It tests published and publicly available evidence on industrial hemp regulation, markets, supply chains, producer economics, regional suitability and environmental outcomes.
The current Phase 2 position is that broad desktop research has been synthesised and is reaching diminishing returns. The recommended next step is targeted gap closure and Phase 3 primary research planning, subject to approval.
Research Navigation
| Group | Page | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | Regulatory & Definitional Scan | Legal definitions, licensing, food standards and chemical-use pathways. |
| Foundations | Initial Literature Review | Published research themes and evidence limitations. |
| Foundations | Regional Data Source Scan | Regional datasets for climate, land-use, soil and economic baselines. |
| Markets & Economics | Market Demand & Product Categories | Product categories, lawful pathways and early market evidence. |
| Markets & Economics | Senate Inquiry Submissions | Public submission leads, repeated barriers, sentiment and lived-experience themes. |
| Markets & Economics | Economic Confidence Review | Secondary-only economic confidence test asking whether targeted primary validation is justified. |
| Markets & Economics | International Industry Context | Australian industry scale, trade signals, overseas comparison and transferability limits. |
| Markets & Economics | Producer Economics | Farm-level costs, yields, gross-margin scaffolds, compliance and freight questions. |
| Markets & Economics | Product Pathway Economic Rough Guide | Pathway-specific figures needed for later Granite Borders economic scenarios. |
| Regional Suitability & Environment | Regional Suitability | Agronomic suitability for current Tenterfield Shire and historic Stanthorpe Shire conditions. |
| Regional Suitability & Environment | Supply Chain | Processor access, capacity, specifications, logistics and beyond-farm-gate viability. |
| Regional Suitability & Environment | Environmental Evidence | Environmental claims tested against realistic local alternatives. |
| Evidence Management | Source Register | Reader-facing source list for published Source IDs. |
| Evidence Management | Phase 2 Control Log | Follow-up items completed, open controls and evidence-management status. |
| Gaps & Risks | Phase 2 Gaps & Risks | Evidence gaps, decision risks and controls for targeted Phase 3 planning. |
| Final Synthesis | Phase 2 Summary Report | Current synthesis, evidence maturity, key gaps and recommended next steps. |
Research Sequence
| Step | Focus | Current role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regulatory & definitional scan | Regulatory & Definitional Scan establishes what legal industrial hemp means in NSW, Queensland and Australian food or chemical-use settings. |
| 2 | Product-category mapping | Market Demand & Product Categories keeps seed, food, oil, fibre, hurd, bedding, building-material and excluded cannabinoid pathways separate. |
| 3 | Market & trade evidence | Senate Inquiry Submissions, Economic Confidence Review and International Industry Context distinguish verified demand and trade signals from forecasts or promotional claims. |
| 4 | Production & agronomic evidence | Initial Literature Review, Regional Data Source Scan, Producer Economics, Product Pathway Economic Rough Guide and Regional Suitability identify likely costs, yields, inputs, constraints and local suitability questions. |
| 5 | Supply-chain & processing evidence | Supply Chain tests processor access, capacity, specifications, logistics and beyond-farm-gate viability. |
| 6 | Environmental evidence & comparators | Environmental Evidence compares hemp claims against realistic regional alternatives, not against an abstract baseline. |
| 7 | Evidence management | Source Register and Phase 2 Control Log record source traceability, follow-up controls and evidence-management status. |
| 8 | Gaps & risks | Phase 2 Gaps & Risks separates the unresolved evidence gaps and risks that should shape targeted Phase 3 planning. |
| 9 | Final Phase 2 synthesis | Phase 2 Summary Report records current synthesis, evidence maturity, key gaps and recommended next steps. |
Evidence Handling Rules
| Rule | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Record product category | Industrial hemp is not one market or one production system. |
| Record geography | Tenterfield, historic Stanthorpe, broader Southern Downs, state, national and international evidence have different relevance. |
| Classify by perspective | Findings may affect producers, supply chains, GBLC and environmental outcomes differently. |
| Prioritise credible evidence | Government data, measured research and transaction evidence are stronger than advocacy or promotional claims. |
| Treat industry claims as leads | Processor, buyer and association claims need verification before they support conclusions. |
| Identify confidence | Findings should be labelled High, Medium, Low or Unknown where possible. |
Source Categories Used
| Source category | Main use | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Government sources | Regulation, statistics, policy, trade, land use and regional context. | May be broad or not hemp-specific. |
| Academic and university research | Agronomy, environmental outcomes, lifecycle evidence and technical studies. | Transferability to Granite Borders conditions may be limited. |
| Industry sources | Product pathways, buyer leads, processing context and market signals. | Potential advocacy bias and commercial confidentiality. |
| Trade and market data | Import/export signals, product categories and market context. | Trade codes may not isolate hemp-specific products. |
| International sources | Mature industry comparison and evidence leads. | Different climate, scale, regulation and market structures. |
Current Interpretation
Phase 2 has improved the evidence base, but it has not produced final business-case conclusions. The strongest current value of the secondary research is to narrow the unresolved questions that need targeted follow-up or primary research.
The main unresolved questions remain buyer demand, processor access, product specifications, freight-adjusted returns, grower economics, local agronomic suitability, environmental comparison against realistic alternatives and GBLC strategic fit.