Following a request from Wine Australia, the Department of Agriculture has agreed to establish a levy payer register for the Australian grape and wine sector.

This new levy payer register will allow Wine Australia to more effectively engage and communicate with grapegrowers and wine producers, ensuring that the Australian grape and wine sector derives maximum benefit from the levies it pays.

The register will make it easier to connect with levy payers so that they can have a greater opportunity to contribute to strategy, adopt the knowledge and tools generated by research and development, and learn about Wine Australia’s activities.

The Department collects two levies on behalf of Wine Australia:

• the Grape Research Levy (paid by growers and remitted by wineries on their behalf. It is calculated on the tonnes harvested), and
• the Wine Grape Levy (paid by wineries and calculated on tonnes processed).

This change means that wine processors who submit a return for the Grape Research Levy will now pass on growers’ details in addition to the information previously provided.
The 2019 return period runs from 1 July to 30 September 2019.

Wine processors who have already lodged a return for 2019 may be required to submit further information about growers. If this is the case, they will be contacted by the Department.
Background

Levy payer registers are enabled by the Primary Industries Levies and Charges Collection Act 1991, which allows the Department to collect and disclose levy payer information to research and development corporations, including Wine Australia, upon establishment of a levy payer register.

Further information about levy payer registers is available here.