As part of the 2017 NSW Wine Awards celebration, a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NSW Wine Industry Association and the NSW Government has been announced, signaling a positive step forward for the state’s wine industry.
The MoU has been signed by Tom Ward (pictured, right), President of the NSW Wine Industry Association, Minister Niall Blair MLC (pictured, left), Minister for Primary Industries, Minister for Regional Water and Minister for Trade and Industry, and Minister Adam Marshall MP, Minister for Tourism and Major events and Assistant Minister for Skills.
Tom Ward says, “This document represents much hard work done behind the scenes and a much closer working relationship between us and the government. It is vital for an industry that not only provides regional communities with sustainable employment and boosts their economic activity but also contributes $1.6 billion to the total NSW economy and plays an important role in our state’s $38 billion tourism sector.”
Minister Blair said, “This Government knows the value of the wine industry to our state, and especially to the regional communities it supports.
“We’ve signed this MoU to ensure the NSW wine industry is in the best possible position to capitalise on trade opportunities, tourism initiatives and research and development, while growing at home and abroad.”
Under this MoU, and in partnership with industry, the NSW Government will undertake to focus on the areas of export markets development, regional wine tourism, and research and innovation.
This includes helping NSW wineries maximise the opportunities outlined in the recent Export and Regional Wine Support Package (ERWSP) announced by the federal government, finalising and releasing the NSW Food and Wine Tourism Strategy and Action Plan (2020) as soon as possible, and improving support for and promotion of inbound visitation across regional NSW, including visitation of wine regions and cellar doors.
The commitments in this MoU also cover using and promoting NSW wines at NSW Government functions and venues and showcasing NSW wine during any overseas Ministerial trade missions.
Finally, the MoU stipulates ongoing high level meetings between government and wine industry every six months at a minimum. Both the NSW Wine Industry Association and the NSW Government are committed to action the new MoU and continue to create programs and opportunities that will contribute to a strong, profitable and growing wine industry.