12/08/2026
AUSTRALIAN WINE IS AT A CROSSROADS — THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW
With news crews travelling through regional Australia filming decades-old vineyards being pulled out and productive land being returned to bare paddocks, we need to ask:
Where is Australian Grape & Wine, Wine Australia and our governments in all of this?
This isn't about pointing fingers. It's about recognising that parts of the Australian grape and wine industry are on the brink of structural collapse — and continued inaction will have consequences far beyond the vineyard gate.
We need an urgent overhaul of the rules of engagement within Australian wine.
What constitutes an Australian wine producer?
Who is genuinely growing grapes, investing in vineyards, employing people, producing wine and carrying the financial and agricultural risk?
And should those with genuine skin in the game — growers, grower-producers and family-owned wineries — receive greater recognition and protection within our industry framework?
These are difficult questions, but they must be addressed.
Because when a vineyard is pulled out, we lose far more than vines.
We lose regional employment, contractors, suppliers and investment. We impact cellar doors, hospitality, accommodation and tourism. We lose generations of viticultural knowledge and productive vineyards that cannot simply be recreated when market conditions improve.
And ultimately, regional communities pay the price.
There is also a longer-term risk to the reputation and capability of Australian Wine.
For decades we have invested in building Australia into a globally recognised wine-producing nation. If established vineyards disappear, growers leave the industry and regional capability is dismantled, rebuilding it could take decades.
This cannot simply be a conversation about today's oversupply.
It must be a conversation about what we want the Australian wine industry to look like tomorrow.
The Federal Government, State Governments, Wine Australia, Australian Grape & Wine and regional bodies need to come together and address the structural issues facing this industry — including how we define, recognise and protect genuine Australian growers and producers.
Behind every vineyard removal are real people: mums and dads, farming families and small businesses who have invested their livelihoods, properties and futures in Australian wine.
They are the true face of our industry.
Doing nothing is also a decision — and regional Australia will continue paying the price.
We don't need another decade of discussion. We need leadership, structural reform and a coordinated national strategy.
The time to act is NOW.
