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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-30 Daily Xml
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SpiritFest

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (14:52): My question—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Kavel might resume his seat for a moment. The member for Kavel has the call. I just remind members on my right and on my left that the member who is given the call to ask a question is entitled to be heard in silence.

Mr CREGAN: Thank you. I've got just as much right to ask a question as you do, and I have been waiting patiently and here I am and I'm about to ask it, so you can listen to my question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The member for Kavel has the call. I remind members of standing order 97. I call to order and warn the member for Kavel. The member for Kavel has the call.

Mr CREGAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister update the house on how the government is supporting businesses and building confidence through the South Australian spirit industry blueprint and forum?

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM (Finniss—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:53): I thank the member for Kavel for his important question. The member is an excellent advocate for the spirit industry in his electorate.

The Marshall Liberal government recognises the enormous growth in the spirit sector in South Australia and wants to support its continued expansion. Recently, I was at Lot 100 in the Adelaide Hills with the Premier to take part in SpiritFest. I must say, Toby and his team at Lot 100 do a fantastic job in putting these industry events together. About 30 South Australian spirit producers collaborated to showcase—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM: —their products to 900 attendees. I was reliably informed that this event was unique to Australia, so it's no surprise that in its inaugural year the event was sold out. The government is so proud to support these important collaborative industry events. It was an ideal event to meet new faces in the spirit industry. Ian from St Mary's vineyard in Penola came up from Penola in the middle of harvest to spend his time at the event, and he said that it was very much worth his while being at SpiritFest to showcase his products.

The event was organised by the South Australian Spirit Producers Association, headed by its president, George Georgiadis, and its vice-president, Sacha La Forgia. It was excellent to see a couple of spirit producers from my electorate showcasing their wares: Fleurieu Distillery from Goolwa and Mount Compass Spirits.

On the following day, Lot 100 hosted a forum where about 100 distillers and businesses in the supply chain spoke about the challenges and opportunities to the industry. It was important to see national beverage organisations involved in the forum with the Australian Distillers Association, Spirit and Cocktails Australia and Alcohol Beverages Australia all taking part.

Mr Speaker, you spoke at the forum and provided a conclusion to what was a highly successful two-day event. Feedback from the forum will feed into the development of the South Australian spirit industry blueprint, which the government is funding. We have also supported the South Australian Distillery Trail, which I am told has been a big hit for the businesses involved.

It has been a challenging year for the spirit industry like many, but consumers have shown their desire to choose local products, and brand recognition continues to grow. We are working with the industry to build on its award-winning reputation and cement South Australia as the spirit state. What the spirit industry is missing is a comprehensive and collaborative plan encompassing all aspects of the sector to reach its full potential. The blueprint aligns with the government's Growth State plan and the agriculture sector's target to reach $23 billion by 2030 in South Australia.

South Australia makes up 12 per cent of spirit manufacturing establishments nationally, and the success of the local industry has seen a range of boutique distillers enter into the industry. Given the premium product and high-end markets that demand South Australian spirits, we see huge opportunity to grow the sector and to work with the industry to remove the barriers that face them. This is such an important sector as we see it grow in South Australia. We are a government backing this new industry, and we wish them well in the future as they deliver their plan.

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