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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-06-22 Daily Xml
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Premium Food and Wine Grants Program

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Minister, how is the state government supporting premium food and wine brands in the Riverland?

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (15:05): The member for Chaffey laughs again as we talk about his wonderful region up there. If he doesn't love it, at least we do. We made a promise back at the 2014 election to come up with some ways that we could help regional South Australia really improve on the way they promote and sell their wonderful produce. We are a government that sticks to our election promises, and it is great to see this being rolled out in the Riverland—obviously, a stunning part of South Australia.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Xenophon is very popular in the Riverland.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: He is.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: They got a Nat up there before.

The SPEAKER: Nick Xenophon's popularity in the Riverland is irrelevant to the answer. The Treasurer is called to order—no, he is warned.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: We came up with a $412,000 program aimed at boosting regional economies with more money for local businesses and more jobs in the regions. Working with the RDA Murraylands and Riverland, we gave them some money to work collaboratively with representatives from Destination Riverland, Riverland Wine, Food Riverland and the Renmark Paringa council. The RDA undertook extensive consultation with local businesses and stakeholder groups to determine the best way to run their programs and communicate the Riverland's exceptional food, wine and tourism experiences.

I am pleased to report that that collaborative work resulted in today's launch of the Riverland Trust Mark, a symbol to be used by Riverland businesses who have consistently demonstrated exceptional standards with regard to quality, origin and environment. I am delighted to confirm the inaugural foundation members of the Trust Mark, beginning with 919 Wines, Whistling Kite Wines and Mallee Estate Wines, for their outstanding achievement in the pursuit of quality, innovation and integrity in the field of Riverland regional fine wines.

Another is Wilkadene, that wonderful brewery just upstream from Renmark. I called in and saw Sarah and Tom the other night and I want to congratulate them. On the weekend, two of their products won first and second prize in the Arkaba beer and cider awards at the Arkaba. One was for Utopia hard lemonade. I'm not a big fan of these sort of drinks. It is a bit like the Two Dogs. Does everyone remember the old Two Dogs lemonade? If you are into that sort of drink, it is like that.

I will tell you that they brew 50,000 litres of beer each year and 80,000 litres of this hard lemonade, alcoholic lemonade. If that is the sort of drink you like, it is an award winner now and very, very popular right through all of Australia. Their Firehouse Coffee Stout, which is more my style, came second. Congratulations to Sarah and Tom for running not only a wonderful brewery but also an amazing tourism experience.

Arrosto Coffee has also been included in the Riverland Trust Mark, along with Kolophon Capers for their outstanding achievement in quality and innovation for their regional produce. Bella Lavender Estate is another. Mario and Lucy do a great job. I called in to see them the other day. They weren't there, but their son David was firing up the pizzas—

Mr Williams: They knew you were coming.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: No, member for MacKillop, you got it wrong. Last time I was there, Mario gave me a massage. He's got these lavender products. I had a bit of a crook shoulder and he said, 'Whack the shirt off. I'm going to give you a little bit of a rub on your shoulder and make it better.' I can say that their lavender products are absolutely sensational.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: How was the pelt afterwards?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: The pelt—gee, I smelt good on the way home. Other foundation members include Griffens Marina, who run fantastic houseboats, and The Frames. I must congratulate Cathy and Rick Edmonds for their investment in putting in luxury accommodation up in the Riverland. Finally, we have Banrock Station and the Loxton Hotel. I just want to talk about The Frames. They have put the first Tesla recharging station at any tourism accommodation anywhere in South Australia, so congratulations.

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