Wine Industry

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:58): Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader and the Premier, if this continues, you will be doing it outside over a coffee. The member for Heysen.

Mr TEAGUE: My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I would like to hear the question.

Mr TEAGUE: Can the minister update the house on how the state government is backing our wine industries to attract international tourists and boost farmgate returns?

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:58): I thank the good member for Heysen for his excellent question. We know how important the wine industry is to South Australia, particularly in the electorate of Heysen. I was recently up there on another one of my regional tours and was escorted around, and we actually dropped into Deviation Road and tried some very nice wine. They are world renowned for their sparkling wine.

What I would say is that we understand that, yes, the wine industry is one of the real really shining lights in South Australia's economy. It is important to note that we have just announced a $3 million support package for the wine industry here in South Australia. It is also really important to note—

The Hon. Z.L. Bettison interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Ramsay!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —that the South Australian government have tipped in $750,000 for initiatives that support and expose the wine industry to the world. I think it is really important that we highlight it.

Recently, the Premier, the member for Heysen, the Minister for Trade and Investment and I were down at Coriole Vineyards, where we were given the opportunity to make the announcement, and the Premier did that in elegant style. We understood how 40 per cent of international tourists visiting South Australia visit a winery, and that money will go towards projects.

If we look at Clare, the Clare Valley Winemakers Incorporated will put their money towards a Chinese television and digital advertising campaign. In the Barossa, the Grape and Wine Association there are looking at marketing a communication campaign that targets international tourists. We go to the Limestone Coast and their wine council does mixed dozen interactive wine trails. That is a great initiative. They are looking at walking trails through the vineyards for their tourists.

If we go to the Adelaide Hills Wine Region, the virtual reality video and online marketing is a great concept, particularly for the Chinese visitors to the Adelaide Hills. In the great engine room of the wine industry in the Riverland, there is an international visitors' virtual tour of the Riverland and wine attractions. The McLaren Vale Great Wine and Tourism Association are putting their money towards an integrated consumer awareness and visitor campaign for the China and Hong Kong markets.

While I was there, I managed to call into the d'Arenberg winery, one of the great iconic visiting spots of the wine industry in South Australia. I was gifted Chester Osborn's time, and he showed me around his new attraction, the Cube, and we all know about the Cube. He also showed me that he is putting new attractions in the Cube on a weekly basis. So, any of you who haven't been to the Cube, please visit and just have a look at the great work he has done. He is one of the unique characters of the South Australian wine industry. We know that the Cube is a to be visited attraction.

More importantly, the wine industry for South Australia is a shining light. This government is backing the wine industry. We are giving the wine industry an opportunity to advertise, to market and to show the world the great concept of South Australian wine, because we know here that hashtag—#winematters.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Hughes: There are hashtags everywhere.

The SPEAKER: There are hashtags everywhere. The member for Giles raises a valid point. The leader has the call.