Speeches
Thursday, 17 September 2026
South Australian Wine Industry Dinner
Rod and I are pleased to be here this evening for the 2026 South Australian Wine Industry Dinner, the industry's major annual gathering.
I am delighted again to be able to wear, courtesy of South Australia Museum, the Firnhaber brooch, crafted by Charles Firnhaber in 1859 from malachite and Barossa Valley gold and depicting vines and bunches of grapes.
This year's theme, ‘Evolve, Lead, Unite’, captures not only how your industry is responding to a difficult period, but the qualities that have carried South Australian wine through every era of change: the willingness to adapt, the confidence to lead, and the strength found in standing together.
As I said at the Australian Women in Wine 10th Birthday Gala Dinner last year, wine is a defining aspect of South Australia's identity, and of Australia's, woven through our history since vines were first planted on these plains.
At Government House we keep an enviable cellar of South Australian wine, and while I confess to a professional duty of parochialism, I can say without reservation that South Australian wine is outstanding by any measure.
Adelaide has been proud to stand among the Great Wine Capitals of the World since 2016, a fact it has been my pleasure to promote whenever I have travelled overseas to champion South Australian industry, particularly our food and wine.
It’s been my pleasure to work with Australian embassies in support of the South Australian government-funded Wine Ambassadors Clubs across the region and to encourage my former DFAT colleagues to promote South Australian wine. The latter not a tough assignment by any stretch.
I am mindful, though, of the significant challenges facing this industry, and the sombre mood this can sometimes engender.
But I have also seen firsthand the resilience, adaptability and determination of growers, winemakers, businesses and industry organisations across the State.
I was heartened by a recent issue of WBM, of which I am an avid reader, profiling several family wine producers who are responding with agility to a rapidly changing market, finding efficiencies, adjusting their vineyards and building the relationships that will secure a premium future.
We all know the quality, excellence and value of the best South Australian and Australian wines have never been higher.
Wine remains vital to the State's economy and identity, sustaining regional communities, drawing visitors to our regions, and carrying South Australia's reputation to markets around the world.
I believe fortune will favour those bold enough to keep promoting their wines on the international stage, and that strong international relationships and continued collaboration across industry, government and overseas partners can help forge new opportunities to build a sustainable, successful future for South Australian wine.
I congratulate all nominees of the SAWIA Excellence Awards, the Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards and the Vinehealth Australia Biosecurity Champion Award, whose leadership and innovation represent a notable contribution to this industry.
To the growers, winemakers and businesses of South Australia: I encourage you to evolve boldly, lead proudly and work together, for many vintages to come.