Budget exposes Labor’s wrong priorities as wine industry crisis deepens

Budget exposes Labor’s wrong priorities as wine industry crisis deepens

Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin MP says the Federal Budget has exposed Labor’s misplaced priorities, ignoring repeated warnings from Australia’s wine grape industry while continuing to celebrate policies that further undermine local producers.

Mr Pasin said the Budget confirmed Labor had once again failed to deliver any serious structural reform assistance for wine grape growers facing a deepening oversupply crisis across the Riverland, Barossa and Limestone Coast.

“This Budget confirms Labor’s priorities are wrong,” Mr Pasin said.

“After years of warnings from industry, Labor has again ignored the need for targeted structural reform assistance for wine grape growers and regional communities under enormous strain.”

Mr Pasin said the Albanese Government had ignored practical and targeted proposals put forward by Australian Grape & Wine in its recent pre-Budget submission, despite the industry warning the consequences of continued inaction would be severe for regional communities.

“This was not a request to preserve the status quo and it was not a plea for hand-outs,” Mr Pasin said.

“It was an honest, industry-led proposal to help manage an orderly transition in response to a structural oversupply crisis that growers cannot resolve alone.”

Mr Pasin said wine grape growers would be rightly frustrated to see senior Labor ministers celebrating cheaper European wine imports while Australian producers faced a worsening structural crisis with no serious support in the Budget.

“Just days ago, senior Labor Minister Tanya Plibersek was publicly celebrating the Government’s EU trade deal by boasting that European wine would become cheaper in Australia,” Mr Pasin said.

“At the very same time, Australian wine grape growers are facing collapsing prices, chronic oversupply and enormous financial pressure.

“That says everything about this Government’s priorities - cheaper wine from Bordeaux, but nothing to support wine grape growers in Barossa Valley, Berri, or anywhere else in Barker. It is proof of a government that is completely out of touch with regional Australia.

“Regional wine producers do not expect special treatment, but they do expect their own government to show at least as much enthusiasm for supporting Australian wine regions as it does for making imported European wine cheaper at the checkout.

“Behind every vineyard are families carrying enormous emotional and financial strain, yet Labor ministers appear more interested in celebrating cheaper imported wine than helping Australian producers survive a structural crisis,” he said.

Mr Pasin also criticised the Government’s decision to phase out the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant program, describing it as another blow to regional wine businesses already under extraordinary strain.

“At the worst possible time, Labor is phasing out one of the few Federal support programs many wine businesses could actually access,” he said.

Mr Pasin said he would continue fighting for wine grape growers, their families and the communities that depend on them.

“If Labor continues to ignore this crisis, the consequences will not disappear,” he said.

“They will show up in abandoned vineyards, business failures, job losses and long-term decline across regional Australia.”