Agribusiness Funding

Ms VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Minister, what is the state government doing to assist regional food and wine businesses to improve their competitiveness?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (14:54): I thank the member for Taylor, and acknowledge her genuine interest in the food production in her local area. I think the nub of the question is: what is the state government doing to assist regional food and wine businesses to improve their competitiveness? Nothing could have changed the face of the agriculture, fishery and aquaculture sectors more than the budget last month.

I have had a lot of great feedback from people right throughout South Australia. The Treasurer, the Premier and I have been out and about, talking to people in the regions—and I must say we have had—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Before the budget—which has largely led to the way the Treasurer framed his budget. Farmers, fishers and aquaculture owners can now restructure their business without the huge impost that would previously hit them through stamp duty and other measures. So, I think that is a great result for regional South Australia, and I commend the Treasurer for doing that great work in the sectors that I am lucky enough to have responsibility for in my portfolios.

Another measure that we have taken is working with primary producers and trying to help them come up with clusters. We have a $2.7 million, five-year pilot program which is helping to establish cluster groups in the Murraylands, Riverland and Limestone Coast. We have had some success on that already in its first year of operation. Around six weeks ago, I was in Guangzhou with some Coonawarra winemakers. Coonawarra is one of the most outstanding wine regions in Australia. We have 18 wine regions here in South Australia—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: According to James Halliday, it is the most successful in terms of his five-star rating. So, it might be a very small wine region, at just 27 kilometres long and three kilometres wide. It's not huge, but they have more five-star wineries compared to the amount of wineries in their region than any other wine region in Australia. So, I think Coonawarra deserves that accolade of being—

The SPEAKER: Surely the 'number' of wineries.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Thank you very much; you remind me of Mr Pearce, my old English teacher. Thank you, Mr Speaker, for correcting my grammar. It was great to be in Guangzhou with the Coonawarra winemakers because they were out there selling their premium wines to a brand-new audience, because they had never before come together in a way where they could actually gather up the group to get away, but they could through the funding that we provided.

I am pleased to announce today that six projects will receive a total $440,000 in funding from the program. They include the MacKillop Farm Management Group, where funding will assist an industry-led steering committee to develop a better understanding of the current cropping industry and the opportunities available. Dairy SA, working with Dairy Innovation Australia Limited, received funding to help progress the project called 'A small dairy processor cluster: connecting, coordinating and cooperating', which will see a strong collaboration to deliver benefits across the value chain.

Naracoorte Lucindale Council, working with the University of Adelaide, received funding for red meat collaboration and innovation in the Limestone Coast to enhance profitability across the value chain. For Ricca Terra Pty Ltd, funding will deliver two results: it will help develop a cluster of Riverland wine grape growers, winemakers and supporting partners directly linked to a unique range of premium wines and services sold in domestic and international markets.

The RDA Murraylands and Riverland have received funding. The Murraylands Food Alliance is a group of 12 large agribusinesses from the Murray Bridge area, and will use the funding to support the cluster's administration. South Australia Murray Irrigators funding will allow project leaders to draft a plan for the water stewardship pilot project, in partnership with the Renmark Irrigation Trust. There is a lot of good news for people in those regions and, as a government, we will continue to work with the agribusiness sector.

The SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired. Member for Florey.