Question Time

Wine Industry

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries about addressing the wine grape oversupply.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The minister reported the formation of the Viticulture and Wine Sector Working Group following a combined meeting of agriculture ministers earlier in the year. The working group was due to report back in late July this year. So far, the working group has only issued an infographic titled 'National Viticulture and Wine Sector Working Group—What we have heard'.

In addition to this, an excellent report from Professor Kym Anderson at the University of Adelaide titled 'The current wine crisis: Ways forward in Australia's wine regions' has apparently been, and I quote, 'delivered to agriculture ministers and released publicly to assist industry in future planning'. This report offered economic analysis of the contributing factors to the impacts of the oversupply but its intent is not to provide a specific list of options, merely to offer important factors for consideration. My questions to the minister are:

1. Where is the final report from the working group that links the economic analysis, what the group has heard, and providing the guidance that the viticulture and wine sector has been waiting for?

2. Will she make the final report from the working group public?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:25): I thank the honourable member for her question and in particular her acknowledgement that there has been both an interim report or statement which outlined the extensive consultation and what the major themes and feedback received were, as well as the release of the Anderson report.

My understanding is that due to the change of federal minister, the final report has been delayed in its being distributed to all ministers. In terms of whether the report will be made public, that is not a decision of mine. This is a national agriculture minister's resolution to have the group set up and that would similarly be the resolution, I would expect, of the agriculture minister.