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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-12 Daily Xml
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WINE-GRAPE TRANSPORT

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:20): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure questions relating to interstate wine-grape transport movements.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: During the last wine-grape harvest period, the Victorian government trialled a road train route from Yelta to South Merbein and on to the South Australian border east of Yamba. The main aim of the trial was to allow the effective transport of wine-grapes to the Riverland following the limitation of operations at Sunraysia wineries. My advice from Victoria is that few concerns arose out of the trial. As a result, it is expected that the Victorian government may well gazette that state's section of the Sturt Highway as a road train route. There has also been speculation about the future operation of B-triples along that route, given that the cross-border transport of grapes is expected to continue and increase. My questions are:

1. Will the minister indicate what consultation, if any, the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure has received from its Victorian counterpart in relation to the significantly increased movement of wine-grapes from the Sunraysia to Riverland wineries?

2. What work, if any, has been done by DTEI in consultation with relevant local government bodies to plan for further growth in the interstate transport of grapes across the already speed-restricted Paringa Bridge and through built-up areas such as Paringa, Renmark, Berri, Monash and Glossop?

3. Given that the next wine-grape vintage period is rapidly approaching, will the minister ensure that the Riverland and Sunraysia communities are well informed about the management of cross-border wine-grape movements in the region well ahead of the next harvest?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:22): I thank the honourable member for his questions on wine-grape transport movements. I will refer those questions to the Minister for Transport in another place and bring back a response.

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