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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-05-15 Daily Xml
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Wine Grapegrowers

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:27): Supplementary: is the minister committed to supporting South Australian grapegrowers and winemakers, or is she more interested in being seen to do so?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:28): I appreciate the opportunity to be able to outline some of the things that the state government has done. The China Re-Engagement Support Package, for example, provides $1.85 million through a package for South Australian wine businesses. This announcement followed closely after China's decision to remove all trade barriers on Australian bottled wine because of concerted efforts by both federal and state governments to stabilise our trading relationship with China.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: That's an important part of strengthening the trade relationships with China following the deep damage done by the former federal Liberal government to that relationship.

The re-engagement package will be rolled out over the next two years to June 2026 and will provide the South Australian wine industry with in-market insights and capability building to effectively re-enter the China market in a risk-controlled manner. The package includes two-way market activation and immersion, promotional marketing and communications campaigns, a wine export adviser, technical cooperation and exporter capability building. To support the two-way market activation and immersion, the Department for Trade and Investment and its partners will facilitate opportunities for wine exporters to attend key in-market industry events in China in 2024 and 2025, as well as coordinate trade familiarisation visits for leading Chinese wine importers to experience South Australia's wine regions.

Our world-class wine offering will be promoted to trade and high-end consumers in China through multiplatform marketing and communication campaigns aligned to peak consumption periods, including key trade events and celebrations. The Department for Trade and Investment will also engage a Shanghai-based wine export adviser to support market activation and immersion programs over the next two years, with both an in-depth knowledge and connections with China's wine sector. Both China and South Australia share a long history of technical, scientific and research exchange in the wine sector, including through the work of PIRSA. Technical cooperation activities will be pursued to deepen this collaboration.

Market insight workshops will be delivered over the next two years to help build exporter capability and provide risk management advice. As part of the government's China re-engagement strategy, close to 200 businesses from South Australia's wine sector gained deep insights into the China market at workshops held in the Barossa, Adelaide Hills, Coonawarra and Riverland, from the end of January to early February. The workshops were facilitated by the Department for Trade and Investment in partnership with the South Australian Wine Industry Association and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions.

Wine grapegrowers across the state who are experiencing challenges due to the current oversupply of red wine grapes are also now able to access additional support through a state government grant to rural business support. The Rural Business Support Relief Fund will assist by providing financial support to impacted red wine grapegrowers by making available immediate grants of up to $1,500 to those eligible, to accommodate routine costs. The financial assistance will be provided in conjunction with business financial guidance. The support aims to alleviate stress for grapegrowers who have felt significant impacts owing to market disruption, severe weather events and natural disasters.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Further funds are also being provided to rural business support to increase rural financial counselling services for the wine and viticulture industry. The Vineyard Ethephon Trial Rebate has been extended, and it can be accessed by red grape growers, who can save up to $2,000 per hectare in input water and management costs in their vineyards through a trial being undertaken across South Australia. Growers involved with the trial can apply for a rebate of $40 per hectare sprayed, to cover the cost of ethephon for up to 1,000 hectares per ABN. The ethephon rebate will be available for up to a total of 5,000 hectares, representing 10 per cent of South Australia's red wine vines. The ethephon vineyard resting trial will also be extended to the next vintage to give growers time to make considered business decisions.

We will also continue to work with the industry associations, not only in the Riverland but across the state, and continue to support projects such as those under Project 250. I think it's important to note that the issue is, as we have said before in this place, not only a global issue but also a national issue, and that is why the national working group was important. We look forward to seeing what their recommendations are when they report back to ministers in July.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Final supplementary?

The PRESIDENT: No, sit down.

The Hon. N.J. Centofanti interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

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