Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW) has returned from a tour promoting Aussie wine in the USA, and has called on the Australian government to boost support for the sector.
The tour took the group comprising 11 of the country’s leading family-owned, multi-generational wine businesses through New York, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to showcase high-quality Australian wines for a US audience.
Stephen Henschke, chair of AFFW, praised Wine Australia for the $8m tour, which included Aussie Wine Month and an event on the banks of Lake Tahoe – but said more still needs to be done, given that the government’s $50m investment in the wine industry over the last few years will be spent by the time current funding expires in June 2020.
“Given how much the government reaps in taxes from the wine industry, it’s time they stepped up and showed an ongoing commitment to our long-term health, at home and internationally.
“The WET reforms of the past few years have essentially removed the industry rebate from bulk and buyers own brand wines and has moved the maximum rebate of $500,000 down to $350,000 resulting in substantially decreased rebates paid which has the effect of creating more revenue flow into the general coffers of Treasury at an estimate of $200 million per year.
“All of a sudden, the $50 million Export and Regional Support Package over the four years to 2020 looks more than reasonable and achievable for the future,” he said.
Henschke urged the government to commit to the future of the wine industry beyond June next year, as the Aussie dollar is at the right level to encourage exports.
“We’ve all lost money from our bottom line as part of the WET tax rebate reforms and as some of Australia’s oldest family owned businesses, we’ve just had to accept that. But we absolutely need a guarantee that the support will continue for the evolution of the whole industry of which our group are the multi-generation elders,” he said.
Bruce Tyrrell, former chair of AFFW, noted that the Australian wine industry “can’t afford to be forgotten again”, and said consistency of message is vital.
“I’ll be lobbying my local member and will be encouraging all my AFFW colleagues to do the same in their regions.
“As a group we have to lead the charge, have our voices heard and fight for funding on behalf of the Australian wine community. It’s vital to our long-term future and I’m certainly up for it,” he said.
