Editing Bundaberg (section)

== Economy ==
[[File:Bundy-BourbongCBD.jpg|thumb|Looking down Bourbong Street, Bundaberg town centre.]]
[[File:Bundaberg, le bureau de poste.jpg|thumb|right|Bundaberg town centre with Bundaberg General Post Office to the right.]]
[[File:Woman riding turtle at Mon Repos.jpg|thumb|Young woman riding on the back of a turtle at Mon Repos Beach, near Bundaberg, ca. 1930.]]

[[Subtropics|Subtropical]] Bundaberg is dependent to a large extent on the local sugar industry. Extensive [[sugar cane]] fields have been developed throughout the district. Value-adding operations, such as the milling and refinement of sugar, and its packaging and distribution, are located around the city. A local factory that manufactured sugar-cane harvesters was closed down after it was taken over by the US [[multinational corporation]] [[CNH (company)|Case New Holland]]. Most of the raw sugar is exported.<ref name="sc"/> A bulk terminal for the export of sugar is located on the Burnett River east of Bundaberg. Recent years have seen the reduction of cane farms and in turn increase of Macadamia farms, whoms main market is China.

Another of the city's exports is [[Bundaberg Rum]], made from the sugar cane by-product [[molasses]]. Bundaberg is also home to beverage producer [[Bundaberg Brewed Drinks]] [[Vintage Soda]], Craft Brewery [[Ballistic Brewing Company]] and Craft Distillery's [[Waterview Distillery]] and [[Kalki Moon]].

Commercial fruit and vegetable production is also significant: avocado, banana, bean, button squash, capsicum, chilli, citrus, cucumber, custard apple, egg fruit, honeydew melon, lychee, mango, passionfruit, potato, pumpkin, rockmelon, snow peas, stone fruit, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomato, watermelon, zucchini.<ref>{{cite web|title=What's Growing?|url=http://www.bfvg.com.au/whats-growing|publisher=Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers|access-date=27 December 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227191607/http://www.bfvg.com.au/whats-growing|archive-date=27 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Macadamia nuts are also grown.<ref>{{cite web|title=Electra going nuts for macadamias|work=News Mail |url=http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/nutty-facts-macadamia-planting-in-the-bundaberg-re/1884338/|publisher=Bundaberg NewsMail|access-date=27 December 2013|date=28 May 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227184039/http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/nutty-facts-macadamia-planting-in-the-bundaberg-re/1884338/|archive-date=27 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Due to the year-round farm work available in Bundaberg, the city has a high number of working hostels for backpackers looking to extend their [[Working holidays in Australia|working holiday visa]] in Australia. The hostels provide backpackers with work on farms across the Bundaberg area. However, the hostels and farms have received huge criticism in the press and on social media due to the treatment some backpackers have faced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/he-sacked-them-for-pleading-for-water-20100312-q45l.html|title=He sacked them for pleading for water|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|date=10 March 2010|access-date=24 July 2022|archive-date=24 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724102110/https://www.smh.com.au/national/he-sacked-them-for-pleading-for-water-20100312-q45l.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/10/06/back-o06.html|title=Pandemic exposes Australian employers' exploitation of young backpackers|publisher=World Socialist Website|date=5 October 2020|access-date=24 July 2022|archive-date=24 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724102114/https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/10/06/back-o06.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[The Courier-Mail]] have reported claims of poor living conditions, underpayment and allegations of sexual abuse which they say has led to backpackers warning others about working hostels in Bundaberg.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/web-stories/free/newsmail-bundaberg/why-backpackers-are-warning-off-bundaberg|title=Why are backpackers warning off Bundaberg|publisher=Courier Mail|accessdate=24 July 2022}}</ref>

Because of its high rate of unemployment, Bundaberg has been referred to as the "dole capital of Australia".<ref name="wequ">{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-21/welfare-quarantine-on-the-cards-for-thousands-of-queenslanders/8965774 |title=Welfare quarantine on the cards for thousands of Queenslanders in Wide Bay region |author=Allyson Horn |access-date=21 September 2017 |date=21 September 2017 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921150958/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-21/welfare-quarantine-on-the-cards-for-thousands-of-queenslanders/8965774 |archive-date=21 September 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>