Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, the Dockers' bus. I echo the words of the member for Forrest earlier, when she urged, as I do—and I know the member for Perth will as well—all people to make the trip across the Nullarbor, come and visit Western Australia and make sure you visit the Margaret River wine region. You really haven't lived until you have done this, and you certainly haven't tasted wine until you've had some Margaret River wines from the cellar door.

Only last year, Margaret River dominated the 2016 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards, winning the highly coveted and most prestigious wine award in Australia—the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy. Deep Woods Estate 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has quickly become the most sought after wine of the year after having won this award. Many other Margaret River producers cleaned up on the night, including growers from the Snake and Herring, Stella Bella wines and Flametree wines all taking home a trophy. And then there are my personal favourites: Rosily vineyard, named after French navigator and cartographer Vice-Admiral Count Francois Etienne de Rosily-Mesros. Rosily is a small vineyard, where grapes are hand-picked from their own vines and all their wines are produced in this small winery, Wilyabrup, in Margaret River. The 2016 Rosily Chardonnay won a silver medal at the International Wine Challenge 2017, and their 2016 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc won gold at the Perth Royal Wine Show and the Royal Adelaide Wine Show last year.

Another small vineyard in the region, which some find hard to get to but that I assure you is not, is Ashbrook Estate. This is another vineyard that has been family owned and operated for a long time. This one is owned by the Devitt family, and they have been running it for over 40 years. Ashbrook, similar to Rosily, is where all grapes are harvested by hand from their own vines, on their own property, and all the wine is made on the estate in all their own vats and equipment and so forth. It is acknowledged as one of the highest performing and brilliant little vineyards in the country. Ashbrook's 2016 Semillon and 2016 Verdelho won silver in the International Wine Challenge 2017, and I congratulate them on their ongoing efforts.

And, of course, there is the great Cullen Wines on Caves Road, built by Dr Kevin Cullen and Diana Madeline Cullen—both remarkable Western Australians. Mrs Cullen was the first person to import merlot and cabernet franc cuttings to Western Australia. She was part of the first trial of vine growing in Wilyabrup in 1966 and established the Cullen vineyard in 1971. Dianne Cullen is acknowledged as a pioneer of the great Margaret River wine region and has been acknowledged as a citizen of Western Australia in the past. Her husband, Dr Kevin Cullen, was no slouch either, being the first recipient of a medical degree from the University of Western Australia. Dr Cullen started one of the most remarkable pieces of work that has ever been undertaken in Western Australia—the Busselton Health Study. It is a true treasure of the state and of science in this nation. It is the world's longest-running, longitudinal health survey, and it is famous around the world and used by medical and scientific researchers around the globe.

The Cullen's established their remarkable vineyard and the Margaret River wine industry on the back of their own research and the advice of Dr John Gladstone, who, in the sixties, first identified the potential of Margaret River to become one of the world's great wine regions. And, of course, this has now come to pass. Today, Cullen Wines prosper and, among other great wines, produces the iconic Diana Madeline Bordeaux blend that is highly sought after around the world.

It is the legacy of pioneers like the Cullen family that the provisions of this bill will serve and protect, which is the treasure of Australia's small vineyards. It speaks volumes about Western Australia's capacity for wine production and quality of produce. While, essentially, a tiny region when compared to some others around this country, Margaret River accounts for more than 20 per cent of the premium wine market.

I would add that there are other little gems spotted around the state. The Swan Valley is a great producer as is the Geographe region. Thankfully, my electorate of Brand is able to claim some small vineyards as well. It is home to four vineyards: Peel Estate wines, Stakehill Estate, Tuart Ridge and Peel Ridge Wines. These are all small family-owned businesses that will benefit from the changes made to these laws.

My electorate is often noted for its contributions to manufacturing in Defence industry. However, I'm pleased that these families can make an economic contribution that adds to the rich, diverse set of businesses and industries that I have the privilege to represent in this place. And these aren't just any contributions. Many of these wineries are changing the way they operate, providing unique, sometimes unconventional, products for a growing fan base. For example, Stakehill Estate Winery in Karnup makes a range of chilli wines to suit heat levels and even the most avid chilly fan as well as fruit wines made from rhubarb and passionfruit and table grapes. I have ordered a case for the member for Perth. Another winery, Peel Estate, has been around for over 40 years, with the first vines planted in 1973 and the winery adding other varieties as the years progressed and the Australian palate changed. I visited Peel Estate in Karnup, in the south of my electorate of Brand, with my mum and my sister over the winter recess. We had the chance to enjoy their beautiful grounds and taste some of their wines. I was told at the cellar door that Peel Estate have the oldest zinfandel wines in WA, having planted them in 1976. This makes the vineyard at Peel Estate in Karnup among the oldest in Australia to have zinfandel wines—and we know zin is best!

Small, often family-run, businesses like these are adapting and changing to meet the demands of consumers, and I am pleased that the federal government is able to give them a leg-up in this regard. That is why I will be supporting this bill to ensure a competitive, viable and sustainable sector in this diverse market. Again, Labor is in unison with the federal government on this bill and will pass the bill to give producers certainty about the new regulations—certainty that this industry needs, as a stable economic environment will produce the greatest output.

In 2015, Australian wine producers contributed over $40 billion in gross output to the Australian economy as well as nearly 70,000 jobs in the industry, which includes 2½ thousand in Western Australia from grape growing and beverage manufacturing jobs. That's taken from the 2011 census; naturally, six years later, the number will be much higher. In 2014-15 over 44,000 tonnes of wine grapes were crushed in Western Australia. It is an outstanding number to contemplate, and that's only from one state. What is also pleasing to note is the solid trajectory in growth in Australian wine exports internationally from the nineties until now. The global financial crisis, of course, had some impact on this; however, forecast growth is expected to be moderate and steady in the lead-up to the financial year 2020-21. I believe our export capacity, particularly to Asia, is still to be fully realised, especially in the sense that wine makes up only around five per cent of Australia's agricultural exports. We have a way to go.

However, there is much to celebrate. In 2015, bottled wine exports to China increased by 45 per cent, demonstrating the emerging Asian market and the demand for the highest quality that Australia offers. Still, nearly half our bottled wine exports go to Europe and nearly a third go to North America. There is a demand out there for Australian wine, and we must keep our regulations modern and up to date to foster it. We also must ensure our regulations support small vineyards across this nation, which have made the wine industry what it is. Australian wine is loved around the globe, and it makes sense for us to capitalise on this award-winning industry and ensure its sustainment for years to come. Sustainability is the key here. It is incumbent on all wine producers to ensure they are compliant with these regulations and don't snuff out the little guys that form the base of this great industry. It would work against their own interests and the interests of wine lovers everywhere.

This bill has many things we on this side of the House agree with. I won't go into them; I have chosen to pay attention to the change to the wine equalisation tax rebate. Again I would echo the member for Forrest, the Chief Government Whip, and would urge all people, whenever they come to Western Australia, to make the trip down south. I look forward also to the Margaret River-Busselton airport being upgraded so that more people can get there more easily. In the meantime, it is really not that hard to get onto the Forrest Highway to get down south to Margaret River and have a look around. I commend the bill to the House.

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