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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-10-31 Daily Xml
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Question Time

FOOD AND WINE INDUSTRY

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (14:38): I seek leave to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries a question about premium food and wine from our clean environment.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: The government has previously announced seven strategic priorities to help focus the government's efforts. Can the minister update the chamber on the progress of premium food and wine from our clean environment strategic priority?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:39): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. In the 18 months since government outlined its seven strategic priorities, significant progress has been made. The premium food and wine from a clean environment priority is about growing South Australia's reputation as a producer of premium food and wine.

These industries are worth more than $16 billion a year to our economy and account for between 36 and 42 per cent of South Australia's merchandise exports and they employ one in five working South Australians. With world demand for food expected to increase by 70 per cent by 2050, this represents an enormous potential for these important sectors of our economy. The South Australian government is investing strongly with our food and wine industries, capitalising on more than $16 million in state government support to secure their markets, to take advantage of new opportunities and to grow the global recognition of the state's premium food and wine from our clean environment.

As members might recall, we have appointed a group of 19 ambassadors, including two based overseas, who are expertly conveying to our community, the nation and the world the message about South Australia's beautiful food and beverages and our fabulous clean environment. The ambassadors group features some very important players in the state's food and wine, amongst them Simon Bryant, Paul Henry, Michael Angelakis, Kris Lloyd, Glenn Cooper, Richard Gunner and many more, all respected, driven, award-winning industry figures and personalities.

After industry and community consultation was undertaken by PIRSA, we have released a premium food and wine from a clean environment action plan. This action plan currently includes around 80 projects to be delivered across government and industry. Ten new projects have already been added since I launched the plan, which was only last month. The action plan will assist in focusing the efforts of both the government and the food and wine industries.

This government has a long history of working with industry and, through this collaboration, we can maximise the tremendous opportunities for this very important sector. The government is already working closely with industry sectors and groups for them to lead specific projects within the priority, and this includes the development of a new certification for farmers markets, for instance, created with the Adelaide Showground Farmers Market.

We have also been spreading the message of just how good our food and wine sector is. We have hosted a number of regional community forums. Just last week, I hosted three industry forums in the CBD, Gawler and Seacliff to talk about the development of the action plan and how industry can partner with government. At the industry forums, we were fortunate to hear from a number of industry people who are delivering innovative projects, including Linda Bowes from the Barossa Grape and Wine Group, who spoke about the development of the Barossa Trust Mark, as well as Catherine Barnett from Food SA, who spoke about the development of the SA Food Users Guide and also the Eat Local program.

In addition, the government has also delivered $10.3 million just in the 2013-14 state budget to support food and wine industries. Other support for food and wine industries has included $2.2 million over four years to support the work of Food SA; $1 million over four years to the South Australian Wine Industry Association to support a program to create greater demand and to develop new and existing markets, particularly in China; $270,000 a year over four years for a food technology program at the South Australian Research and Development Institute; $125,000 to support the development of the Barossa Trust Mark as a brand certification program guaranteeing a truly local Barossa food, wine or tourism experience. They did some fabulous work there. It was a great partnership of industry groups coming together to develop that Barossa Trust Mark.

In addition, the government has also provided sponsorship of the Cellar Door Wine Festival, Savour, the Australian Seafood Directions Conference, Cheesefest 2013, the Advantage SA Regional Awards, the SA Food Industry Awards and LambEx for 2014—and the list goes on. While the Labor government has been rolling out a new policy initiative to support our food and wine sectors, those opposite are doing their best to keep their plans secret. We know that they only have one plan and that is to cut back and savage the public sector, and they are our schools, teachers, nurses and roads. That is what the public sector is all about, and we know that is the only plan they have: to cut and slash the public sector which is about very important services and facilities for this society.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, I can't imagine what PIRSA is going to look like if there was to be a Liberal state government because we know they plan to slash somewhere between 25,000 and 35,000 people from our Public Service. I just can't imagine what sort of state our public sector is going to be in.

Anyway, it is only this government that has committed to supporting these important sectors because we have always believed in helping industry grow and change and we are committed to building our food and wine producer's reputation by seeking out new opportunities for them in key Asian markets. While we are getting on with the job of supporting South Australia's food and wine producers, those opposite continue to remain silent.

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