Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation: Barossa Valley Visit

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (16:16): I move:

That the report of the committee, on the committee's regional visit to the Barossa Valley, be noted.

In May this year the committee visited the beautiful Barossa Valley to learn firsthand about work and life in that region. The Barossa Valley is the most recognised wine, food and tourist region, and is known for its six generations of winegrowers, winemakers, butchers and bakers.

The initiative to do a regional visit was driven in the first instance by the Presiding Member of the committee, the Hon. Steph Key, with the full support of other members of the committee. A number of other regional visits are being planned by the committee, which I think is appropriate and will enhance the committee's knowledge of the challenges regional businesses face in meeting their occupational health and safety obligations.

Unfortunately, on the day of the inaugural visit to the Barossa region by the committee, I was unwell and unable to attend, but I have been advised by my colleagues that the visit was most productive and enjoyable. The committee was privileged to visit three businesses where members met with local business leaders and workers at Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Vinpac International and Barossa Enterprises.

In conclusion, I thank the committee's executive officer, Ms Sue Sedivy, for organising this inaugural trip of the committee. I also acknowledge the assistance of Stephan Knoll, the member for Schubert and a member of the committee, for hosting the visit. I will leave it to the Hon. John Darley to detail the activities of the committee's visit to the Barossa.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (16:18): In May this year the committee visited the beautiful Barossa region to learn firsthand about work and life in the region. The 22,964 people who live in the Barossa make a significant contribution to the South Australian economy. According to the Bureau of Statistics, the gross regional product in the Barossa was over $1 billion in 2014, derived from the 2,160 local registered businesses. While manufacturing is reported to be the largest industry, other major industry sectors include agriculture, retail and health care. The committee was privileged to visit three businesses, where the members met with local business leaders and workers at Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Vinpac International and Barossa Enterprises.

I would like to share some of the committee's learnings and experience from undertaking this visit to the Barossa region. Pernod Ricard is a global leader in the spirits and wine sector with headquarters based in Paris. The Australian operation is located at Rowland Flat, Barossa Valley, where it produces wine for 65 international markets, with key brands being Jacob's Creek, St Hugo and Wyndham Estate. Not only is Pernod Ricard a global leader in the wine sector but it has been recognised by Safe Work Australia as a national leader in injury prevention and injury management. It is a self-insured employer under the Return to Work Act with a strong commitment to the health, safety and well being of its employees, their families and the community.

I have been advised that all members were equally impressed by the company's Active Choice health and wellbeing program which provides workers at all levels and senior executives with the opportunity to improve their health, fitness and general well being. As well as leading to reductions in the lost-time injury rate, the program has resulted in important and unexpected strategic benefits for the company.

It also provides direct benefits to employees and their families through a series of events such as their skin cancer program called Don't Blame it on the Sunshine; mental health and stress management, Beat of the Heart; and the Let's Get Physical events aimed at diabetes checks, boot camps and dance classes. We were all impressed by the demonstrated commitment of Pernod Ricard to the health and well being of not only their workers but also their families and the community.

The committee next toured Vinpac International, which is a specialist wine bottling, winemaking laboratory and warehouse dispatch service located in Angaston. Vinpac is a very impressive and large operation and is part of the Woolworths group of companies. It provides specialist bottling expertise in a wide range of bottle shapes and sizes and caters to the bottling needs of wineries throughout Australia. Their warehouses use the latest technology to manage the logistics of over 35,000 pallets of finished goods and seven million litres of bulk wine in outdoor storage tanks.

Vinpac is also a self-insured employer with almost 300 employees engaged in roles such as administration, production, maintenance and logistics. The company has a number of early intervention and prevention programs in place aimed at maintaining a safe and healthy workforce, such as remedial massage, occupational therapy and dedicated specialist safety personnel.

Finally, we were privileged to tour the Barossa Enterprises site at Nuriootpa, which is a slightly different business to those previously visited. Barossa Enterprises provides services to individuals and families who live with a disability and to local businesses through their WoodWerx and Community Lifestyle Connexions programs. WoodWerx specialises in wine packaging of premium wines for export using environmentally sustainable products.

Barossa Enterprises provides developmental training to all its supported employees as part of a regime of work health and safety, machine operation and general workplace wellbeing. Training is developed around easy-to-read pictorial formats that link practice with theory. Work health and safety is at the forefront of all operations and is specifically designed around the individual and the job. Competency-based small group training in manual handling is also provided.

It was obvious that the supported employees all love their work and the friendships they have made. They are committed to their own health and safety. They have an elected health and safety representative and their own health and safety committee. It was most unfortunate that the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars was unwell and missed the opportunity to visit the Barossa region and experience the first field trip undertaken by the committee.

The committee's visit to the Barossa region was the first field trip undertaken by the Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Committee and, hopefully, it will not be the last. Being able to visit businesses, talk with business leaders and workers, and observe operations adds much to the committee's understanding of the challenges and achievements associated with business operations in regional South Australia. The committee was impressed by how each business invested in the health, safety and wellbeing of their workers and the benefits that have been derived from this commitment.

On behalf of myself and the other members of the committee—the Hon. Steph Key, Ms Nat Cook, and the Hon. John Dawkins—I would like to thank the member for Schubert, Mr Stephan Knoll, for hosting the committee's visit to Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Vinpac International and Barossa Enterprises, which are all unique business enterprises with a clear commitment to achieving success and support for the region. I express my sincere thanks to business leaders at Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Vinpac International and Barossa Enterprises for making their operations and key staff available for the committee's regional visit. My thanks go to the committee's executive officer, Ms Sue Sedivy, for helping to organise this inaugural field trip.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:25): I rise to support this motion and to endorse the remarks of the mover and the Hon. John Darley. It was unfortunate that the Hon. Mr Kandelaars was unable to come on the day, although knowing his state of health that day and that the temperature in the Barossa on that May day was predictably reasonably cool, he may well have been wise not to come with us. I would like to briefly put on record my gratitude to the member for Schubert in another place not only for his membership of the committee but also for his ready willingness to host the first regional visit of this committee in his own electorate. It was a widely varying field trip, but one that I think was of great value to all those of us who participated.

I will not repeat the things that the Hon. John Darley, in particular, has expertly summarised about the day, but some highlights for me included the visit to Pernod Ricard at Rowland Flat. I certainly remember being told about the Active Choice Health and Wellbeing Program, which I think the company has placed a very high priority on. I think they have identified that if they keep their workforce in good shape, both physically and mentally, they will certainly have less absenteeism as well as a greater striving within their workforce to build productivity and demonstrate a greater pride in the brand.

That was also exemplified by the work health and safety board that we saw and the staff suggestions board that were located at the entry to the bottling and packaging plant. I think all members of the committee who were on the trip were impressed by the fact that not only is there a staff suggestions board, it is actually something that management takes great notice of and responds to. Those were particular things that I remember about the visit to Rowland Flat.

In the Vinpac visit at Angaston I also noted that Vinpac is a self-insured employer with almost 300 employees across a wide range of activities there. The company has a number of early intervention and prevention programs in place aimed at maintaining a healthy workforce. Once again, I think management demonstrated to us that they are very keen to invest in the health and wellbeing of their staff.

I think the Hon. Mr Darley has highlighted the difference between the first two businesses that we witnessed and then Barossa Enterprises. I have been aware of Barossa Enterprises since it first came into existence, I think in the 1980s. It is a wonderful not-for-profit enterprise, firstly based in the Barossa, but I now understand it has extended also to Clare. It provides excellent services to individuals and families that live with a disability and it is regarded with great pride across the Barossa. There are many businesses that deal with Barossa Enterprises that I think are very proud of the fact that they can support that organisation. Not specifically, but some, are particularly proud of their connections to the WoodWerx program, which the Hon. Mr Darley mentioned, and also the community lifestyle connections program.

Another part of the day which I suppose we do not usually talk about was lunchtime, when the committee went to another of the icons of the Barossa, that is, The South Australian Company Store Kitchen at Angaston. I think it was an important thing for us, obviously, to have something to eat, but I think we also saw some of the ways in which the many hospitality enterprises that make up the Barossa operate. They operate with buses coming in with tourists, with local residents and, of course, with visiting members of parliament. That was also part of the day.

I commend the Hon. Steph Key, as the chair of the committee, for her passion for this regional trip. I know there is one further trip planned to the Riverland and, having a great affection for that part of the state, I look forward to that trip as well. In closing, I thank the committee's only member of staff, Ms Sue Sedivy, for her passion for the work of the committee and the great efficiency in the way she operates as its executive officer. With those words, I support the motion.

Motion carried.