Question Time

Wine Grapegrowers

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation prior to addressing a question to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development South Australia regarding the federal budget.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Many grape and wine industry leaders are incredibly disappointed this morning. They have not been able to identify one cent in the federal budget to combat the hardship being endured in that industry. The national peak body, Australian Grape & Wine, is on the record this morning criticising the omission of the industry's modest pre-budget submission request. To quote Mr McLean, who said:

We made it crystal clear—many in regional wine communities are on their knees and need urgent government action to stop a bad situation becoming a catastrophe. However, instead of support, all we got was a new tax in the form of a deeply flawed Biosecurity Protection Levy.

It's disappointing that despite our sector's $45.5 billion economic contribution, the government has turned a blind eye to our pleas for assistance.

We will not let this go. This deliberate failure to help families in regional Australia jeopardises the viability of entire communities, and without help it is only going to get worse.

In the chamber last sitting week, the minister said, and I quote:

Members will recall that on my initiation there is now a federal working group looking at the national viticulture and wine sector, and that involves all the other states and territories that have an interest, as well as the commonwealth government.

As the state with the majority of the wine industry production, South Australia stands to be hit hardest by the federal government's lack of support for this sector in the budget. My questions to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, who represents the grape and wine industry in South Australia, are:

1. Since the minister has informed the chamber that this working group was her initiative, besides meetings, what is the federal working group actually doing to assist the sector?

2. Will the minister commit to an adequate and effective allocation within the state budget to make up for the utter lack of support from the federal Labor government?

3. Can she explain what information was reported back to the commonwealth from the working group that led to the total indifference to the plight of South Australian grapegrowers and winemakers?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:26): I thank the honourable member for her question. Similarly, I would have been very pleased if there had been some direct assistance in the federal budget. It certainly is disappointing that that has not occurred. To answer the specific questions of the honourable member, the working group comprises of representatives of the commonwealth, state and territory governments as well as relevant industry groups.

As I have already said in this place previously, members of the working group have visited the Riverland, the Riverina and Murray Darling/Swan Hill, as well as having, I believe, online meetings or other consultation with areas outside of those. The working group will propose to agricultural ministers actions to support improvement in the grape and wine sector and its long-term viability by July.

In terms of what will or won't be in the state budget, the honourable member would be aware that it's not common practice for any government to be ruling things in or ruling things out. What I can do is refer to comments that I have made in a number of forums, which apply to things such as major structural reforms that might involve wine pulls. I can certainly say that, as I have said on other occasions, something like that is not within the scope of the state government.

In terms of the third question on what information has been provided by the working group to the federal government, since I am not a member of the working group, that would not be across my line of sight.