MARCH 17, 2016: The push for a sugar tax in Australia by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver was not one that would win him any accolades in the sugar-growing regions of Queensland.I’m no poster boy for health and fitness, but sugar is not the only nutrient to blame for obesity and that point has been made previously by the Dieticians Association of Australia.Introducing a sugar tax would cost jobs in this part of the world, and that’s the last thing we need right now.Operations like the Mackay Sugar Refinery which produces sugar purely for the domestic market, as well as our sugar mills and even cane farms would face job cuts if such a plan was introduced.Jamie Oliver had called on Australia to follow the lead of Britain on the introduction of a sugar tax on soft drinks.Sugar is a food product which has been demonised by many, and yet Dieticians Association of Australia points out that the issue is more complex than that.  In the past 40 years our sugar intake has decreased but as a nation we continue to put on weight.So the claims that sugar is the number one obesity demon do not add up.The sugar industry supports more than 4000 farmers, generates more than 50,000 direct and indirect jobs in this country and produces about $2 billion in annual revenue.It’s an industry that does not need to be demonised.Regional Health Minister Fiona Nash has opposed the idea of a sugar tax, signalling it would not be something the government would support.“The government’s position at the moment is not to consider a sugar tax. I’m not open to any discussion on that,” Senator Nash said.Ms Nash said people had “a responsibility to make their own choices when it comes to food.”