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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-10-18 Daily Xml
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South Australian Spirits Industry

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:30): My question is for the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister please update the chamber on the South Australian spirits industry?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:30): I thank the honourable member for his interest in spirits. Last Friday, 14 October, I was pleased to attend the South Australian Spirit Producers' Association industry forum. It is very encouraging to see the spirits sector in South Australia undergoing a very rapid period of growth—

The Hon. J.E. Hanson: Spirited!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: It is a spirited period of growth, as the Hon. Mr Hanson suggests, which is being driven by investment in high-quality spirit production by our state's distillers. SpiritFest, which was held for the second time last weekend, 15 and 16 October, was a great opportunity to see the quality of more than 30 distilleries on full display. When the 2021-22 PIRSA scorecard is released, it will be wonderful to see spirits featured for the first time, which will highlight the genuine and growing contribution of this sector to the South Australian economy.

There was a launch of 'South Australia's spirits boom', an industry blueprint to guide the sustainable rapid growth of the South Australian spirits sector—that was launched 12 months ago. Strong and open lines of communication with government is of course important. The blueprint has helped to enable the South Australian Spirit Producers' Association to develop a strong partnership with the South Australian government.

This has included working on priority areas in skills development, training and education with the Department for Industry, Innovation and Science. It has also involved work on developing and growing important export markets with the Department for Trade and Investment and, of course, working with the Department of Primary Industries and Regions to develop the capability and the capacity of the growing spirits sector.

I am pleased to say we have seen at least 25 distilleries join the industry here in South Australia in recent times. We have also seen companies such as Coopers Brewery signal their intention to add to the sector by investing in a whisky distillery and underground maturation stillage at their Regency Park site. Then there are many brands that are expanding their offering across gin, whisky, vodka and other niche spirits to meet the ever-growing demand for craft spirits from South Australia.

To sustain this impressive growth and as a long-term commitment to supporting the spirits sector, I was pleased to announce that the South Australian government has committed $200,000 over the next four years to secure the appointment of an executive officer for the association. This position will be pivotal to leading the activities of the South Australian Spirit Producers' Association and supporting the delivery of the priorities of the blueprint.

Those priorities are incredibly important for the future of this important industry. They include nurturing collaboration through innovation and co-investment, developing people through quality education and training, growing the domestic and international markets and developing a spirits export plan, increasing production and sales, and improving the operating environment as well as growing the local visitor economy and hospitality experiences.

Collaboration, planning and strong communication between industry and the government are key to achieving these goals. I look forward to seeing the growth and development that these businesses and the sector as a whole will make in the coming years. I would also encourage all members here present to support their local spirits producers—responsibly, of course, but support as many as you are able to do so within the confines of both health and responsibility. It is very much an exciting industry. I have had the great pleasure of being able to visit two of the producers in this particular industry in recent weeks—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Just two?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —even though I am not actually a big drinker. I have only visited two, as the Hon. Mr Hunter asks me, but they were both wonderful even for someone who doesn't drink a whole lot, I would like to say.

The PRESIDENT: Interjections are out of order, the Hon. Mr Hunter.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: There were spirited discussions around the different industries. There was a lot of enjoyment and reflection but also, in all seriousness, I saw the excellent opportunities that the industry is making in terms of establishing real visitor experiences, which is helping our tourism sector as well.

We know that they, as do all other sectors, continue to face workplace shortages and difficulties with that, but there has been a lot of innovation. For example, I visited one distillery that had some great offerings of food as well and, of course, at SpiritFest last Friday, as well as CheeseFest, in fact, which was also last Friday, we got to see some of the best displays of South Australian produce. I commend the industry on what they are doing and look forward to them developing even further into the future.

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