Wine Industry Invited to Have its Say on $10m Tourism and Cellar Door Grant

The Federal Government has invited wine producers to have their say on the $10 million Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant program with the release of a consultation paper. 

The Minister for Revenue and Financial Services Kelly O’Dwyer and Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Senator Anne Ruston have invited the wine sector to provide feedback on the proposed eligibility criteria for the grant. Eligible producers will be able to access an annual grant of up to $100,000.

O’Dwyer said, “The Government wants to support producers who add value and contribute to their communities by encouraging visitors to wine regions.” 

Ruston added, “Australia’s wine industry is not only one of our signature export industries, but also makes an important contribution to tourism, particularly in regional areas. 

“It’s also one of the only agriculture-based industries where the majority of the value chain is located in Australia.”

There has been substantial growth in exports of Australian wine to overseas markets over the past year. Ruston said the value of Australian wine exports increased by seven per cent to $2.2 billion in 2016.

“It’s important that this success continues to deliver economic and social benefits in the regions where these products originate by supporting producers’ cellar doors in attracting visitors,” said Ruston.
 
“These grants will go a long way in helping achieve that.” 

O’Dwyer said the grants would complement a range of measures developed with the wine industry to improve the wine equalisation tax (WET) rebate scheme. 

The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) welcomed the release of the criteria and the opportunity for the industry to have its say.

Chief Executive of WFA Tony Battaglene said, “This is an important part of the WET reforms and we are very pleased to see the Government working to deliver on its commitment to industry very quickly after its announcement last year.

“The grant will support the cellar doors of our important wine regions to boost tourism and regional economies.

“This grant, in conjunction with the WET reforms and the $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support package, is a broad-based strategy that will enable us to achieve export and development goals in say 2 to 5 years, rather than 10 years, for example. This turbo-charges exports and investment.”

The consultation paper is available at www.agriculture.gov.au/wine-grant.