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Vic Govt confirms support for Victorian Liquor Subsidy

Wine Victoria has welcomed confirmation from the Victorian Government that the Victorian Liquor Subsidy (VLS – also known as the Cellar Door rebate) will remain intact and unchanged.

Wine Victoria Chair, Damien Sheehan said Victoria was now the only state with this level of industry support and was just another demonstration of how the Government was supporting Victorian winemakers and making sure Victoria was the best place to do business.

“Wine Victoria took a proactive role in engaging with Members of Parliament (MPs) and responsible departments on this issue,” Sheehan said.

“We wanted to make sure MP’s clearly understood how the rebate was being invested and the significant knock-on economic impacts – particularly in regional areas,” he said.

When reviewing the VLS, Wine Victoria engaged expert assistance to examine the subsidy and evaluate how the rebate was being used.

They found that subsidy recipients generated $680 million in gross state product annually and supported almost 5,000 ongoing full-time equivalent jobs (direct and indirect).

“This ongoing investment into cellar doors is so important – the Victorian visitor experience is often focused on big natural icons, but for a strong economic impact to be realised, providing access to value-add experiences such as an exceptional cellar doors is key,” Sheehan said.

“With the continuation of this subsidy, the Victorian wine industry looks forward to working in partnership with the Government on their tourism objectives by delivering first class wine experiences.”

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