The South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA) welcomes the Natural Resources Committee of the Parliament of South Australia final report on the Inquiry into Unconventional Gas Development.

SAWIA and other wine industry organisations, being, Limestone Coast Grape and Wine Council, Coonawarra Grape and Wine Incorporated, Wine Grape Council of South Australia, and The Australian Wine Research Institute, made submissions and appeared before the Natural Resources Committee.

SAWIA welcomes the recognition set out in the main finding of the Inquiry of the widespread community and industry opposition for development of unconventional gas in the South East. However, SAWIA also recognises the Committee’s main reason for recommending against proceeding is “that [the] social licence to explore/develop unconventional gas does not yet exist in the South East of South Australia.” This highlights the significant challenge to address the underlying causes of the lack of support, including uncertainty about the environmental risks, the lack of a development proposal, and ongoing concerns about regulation of the activities.

SAWIA remains unconvinced that fracking can coexist within or near the established wine growing regions of South Australia, because it

• is incompatible with viticulture, winemaking and wine tourism
• is incompatible with the State government’s economic priority of ‘Premium Food and Wine produced in our Clean Environment and Exported to the World’, and
• threatens the brand and reputation of the internationally recognised wine brands of Coonawarra, the Limestone Coast and South Australia more generally.