PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Mr GEE (Calare) (12:30): I'm very pleased to support this motion, because the wine industry has a long and proud history in the Central West of New South Wales. It's part of the fabric of our communities. In places like Orange, Mudgee, Molong, Bathurst, Cargo and Canowindra, wine isn't just a product; it's part of who we are—the identity of our region.
It's jobs, small businesses and tourism. It's a great source of pride for our region, and it's a vital part of our region. Our wines are exported all over the world.
Across Calare, there are thousands of hectares under vine, more than 200 wineries and close to 100 cellar doors. From growers in the vineyard to cellar-door staff and everyone in between, hundreds of locals and businesses depend on this industry. In 2024-25 alone, it contributed to the overall gross production of wine in New South Wales, which was valued at $209 million.
So it's a very important part of our region. But, beyond the numbers, it's an industry that is under threat and under real pressure. The wine sector is facing structural challenges.
In the past year, production outstripped sales by 52 million litres. That's not a temporary aberration; it's a sign that demand has shifted. Globally, wine consumption has dropped to its lowest level in decades, and, over the next five years, the market is expected to shrink by around eight per cent.
That's the equivalent of 1.5 billion litres. These are not just statistics. They translate to real impacts for growers, winemakers, businesses, families and their employees across communities like ours.
As I drive around our region, I can see the wineries and the vines being taken out literally before our eyes. They're being removed from paddocks. It is a very concerning situation, and this is why we need to get support for our wineries and get a program in place which deals with this issue.
To give you an example of some of the great things that are happening in our region, at the 2025 NSW Wine Awards Printhie Wines won the trophy for the best sparkling wine, for their 2016 vintage. There were a number of other winners as well. For example, Tamburlaine took out the award for best organic wine, and they were actually very successful in a number of categories.
Gooree Park, near Mudgee, won the trophy for best pinot noir. Tamburlaine also won trophies for the best cab sav and the best other red wine varietal. Right across the region, there are great innovators and great winemakers.
At the 2025 Orange Wine Show, Printhie Wines again took out the award for best wine of the show, with their 2016 vintage sparkling. Over at Mudgee Wine Show, Robert Stein won the Champion Wine of Show award, with their 2019 dry riesling. You can see the great things that are happening across our region in terms of winemaking.
But this is a major challenge for our region, and we need support. Another challenge that our industry is facing is the closure of the Great Western Highway. A bridge built by a convict chain gang in 1832 has unsurprisingly failed, and this has meant that tourism numbers across the region have drastically decreased.
Even though there are diversion roads in place, the number of tourists coming from the Sydney area and beyond has dropped dramatically, and this is having a major impact on cellar doors and tourism, and it is a major crisis facing our whole region. We have this issue with our wine industry, which is being made a lot worse by what's happening with government inaction, both state and federal, on the Great Western Highway.
I would urge the state government and the federal government to show some leadership on this issue. The Premier of New South Wales needs to come out to our part of the world and see the impact that this highway closure is having on our businesses, and we need government support to sort out our wine industry as well.