Wine and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026; Second Reading

Opened the debate

Ayres moved that the bill be read a second time, arguing it supported Australia's agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors. Ayres stated the amendments to the Wine Act would enable Wine Australia to conduct industry surveys and support transparency in winegrape purchasing arrangements. Ayres noted the government accepted recommendations from the Dr Craig Emerson review, requiring winemakers to make earlier, binding public offers for grapes in specific regions. Ayres argued these changes would strengthen the Wine Act while protecting information and aiding the ACCC in regulating a proposed mandatory code of conduct. Regarding the Collection Act, Ayres explained the amendments would allow ABARES to disclose personal information to third parties for survey purposes, improving research outcomes. Ayres emphasised that existing privacy safeguards would remain in place to protect personal data.

Government response

Ayres argued the bill was part of the government's broader support for primary producers, citing ABARES forecasts of $110 billion in sector value for 2025-26. Ayres detailed how the Wine Act amendments would facilitate surveys and support the mandatory code of conduct for wine grape purchases by enabling information sharing with the ACCC. Ayres stated that without these changes, the sector's ability to address challenges and the ACCC's regulatory capacity would be limited. Ayres explained that the Collection Act amendments would allow ABARES to share contact details with mailing companies to improve the quality of agricultural surveys. Ayres assured the Senate that privacy controls and the Privacy Act would continue to safeguard personal information handled by third parties.