Question Time

Container Deposit Scheme

The SPEAKER: We will start the question time clock again. The Deputy Premier, you were on your feet.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy) (14:56): I was, thank you. I was trying to explain that it is a pity that the opposition has decided to oppose this move, because I think it unnecessarily creates a dynamic with the wine industry that is unnecessary and is certainly not coming from the government. We very much want to work with the wine industry on making sure about what is now inevitable, given that nearly all the other states are doing this anyway, and our winemakers, naturally, sell their wine into those other states.

By our choosing to go along with and to maintain the timetable of the other states gives the winemakers an opportunity to do this in the best possible way. Regardless of the position, of course, of the opposition, the government has already reached out to the wine industry pre the announcement yesterday, to reassure them about what the announcement was and to reassure them about the process, and we will work carefully with them.

The specific question that was raised by the member was the extent of consultation that had occurred previously. As I pointed out, it did start back in 2019, when the review initially started under the previous government and there were, of course, submissions from the wine industry at that point. There was a summit on container deposit held under the previous government also, and that was something that included the wine industry. There was a consultation on a specific document, Improving South Australia's Recycling Makes Cents discussion paper, again under the previous government, and the wine industry participated in that.

Then, once we came into government, I made it very clear to the wine industry, and anyone who would listen, that we would not go it alone in South Australia in adding the container deposit to wine bottles, but nor would we be the only state to hold out. We subsequently had many discussions, including with the head of the EPA, once Jon Gorvett took that place, and a meeting with Brian Smedley, who at that time was the chief executive of the Wine Industry Association.

Between September and October last year there was public consultation on the draft amendment bill. The wine industry made a submission on that bill and, of course, there have been constant meetings in between time, and I have specifically spoken, as well as the EPA, to various winemakers. There was a roundtable discussion as recently as October of last year held by the EPA and, of course, a meeting in Clare last week as part of the country cabinet in which the question of container deposit was again raised.

I reiterated that there appeared to be an inevitability with the other states moving and that we would, if we were to participate, do it in such a way as was least costly to the wine industry. Let's not forget that this is something that is about the sustainability of the wine industry, as they increasingly will be selling into markets that will demand that they operate in the most sustainable way possible. We are assisting them in doing this. We will do it in the best possible way, and we will do it with the strong support of the majority of Australians.