Wine Australia empowers the success of the Australian grape and wine sector across three key functions:

• Research, Innovation and Adoption to enhance global competitiveness, helping grape and wine businesses meet the challenges of tomorrow, today.
• Market Development to increase the demand and premium paid for Australian wine across all markets by expanding market and promotion opportunities for Australian wine.
• Regulatory Services to safeguard product integrity and uphold the sector’s reputation by maintaining market confidence in the high standards expected of Australian wine.  

Wine Australia is funded by the sector, for the sector, through grapegrower, winemaker and exporter levies and user-pays charges, with matching funds from the Australian Government for research and innovation. Working collaboratively with the sector and Government, we amplify insights, connection and capability building to support profitable, resilient and sustainable grape and wine businesses.

Wine Australia is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority established under the Wine Australia Act 2013.

What we do

Wine Australia’s functions are prescribed by section 7 of the Wine Australia Act 2013 (the Act). 

Among other things, these functions include:

• coordinating or funding grape or wine research and development activities
• facilitating the dissemination, adoption and commercialisation of research and development results
• promoting the consumption and sale of grape products, both in Australia and overseas
• controlling the export of grape products from Australia
• implementing, facilitating and administering programs – as directed by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – in relation to wine and international wine tourism, and services, products and experiences that complement international wine tourism, and
• administering grant programs in relation to wine as directed by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Importantly, Wine Australia has a Statutory Funding Agreement with the Commonwealth, entered into under the Act, which prohibits Wine Australia from engaging in “Agri-Political Activities” and acting as an “Industry Representative Organisation” – meaning that Wine Australia cannot advocate on behalf of the sector, or engage in any form of internal or external political influencing.

For more information on the functions and powers of Wine Australia, please refer to the Act and the Wine Australia Regulations 2018 (Cth).

Our funding sources

Wine Australia is funded by grapegrowers and winemakers through levies and user-pays charges, and by the Australian Government, which provides matching funding for R&I investments.

We have four primary sources of funding:

1. Research and Innovation (R&I) funding
   The grape research levy (grapegrowers pay $2 per tonne of winegrapes crushed) and the R&I component of the wine grape levy (wine producers pay $5 per tonne of winegrapes crushed) are matched dollar-for-dollar by the Australian Government.
2. Marketing funding
   Wineries pay the promotion component of the wine grape levy in a stepped amount per tonne. The promotion component is payable on grapes delivered to a winery once the threshold of 10 tonnes has been reached.
   Wine exporters pay the wine export charge on wine produced in and exported from Australia. The amount of levy payable is based on the free-on-board (FOB) sales value of wine for the levy year.
3. Regulatory funding
   Regulatory activities are funded on a cost-recovery basis through activity-based fees. 
4. User-pays activities
   Wine businesses, regional associations and state governments pay voluntary contributions to participate in marketing activities.

Our governance and operations seek to achieve the best possible return on the investment of our R&I, marketing and regulatory funds.

Funding Agreement

Our Statutory Funding Agreement 2025-34 with the Australian Government ensures that the funding we receive from levies and matching Australian Government funds for eligible RD&A is expended prudently and in line with levy payers’ and the Australian Government’s expectations.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry manages the funding agreement on behalf of the Australian Government.

Statements of Expectation and Intent

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator the Hon Murray Watt, wrote to Wine Australia in June 2023 setting out his expectations for the delivery of Wine Australia’s regulatory functions. The Statement of Expectations provided a set of guiding principles intended to apply across all Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) and placed a Statutory Funding Agreement (SFA) obligation on Wine Australia to comply with the directions set out in that guide.

In response, Wine Australia published a Statement of Intent in its Annual Operational Plan 2023–24, noting the Australian Government’s priorities and committing the organisation to regulatory best practice in decision making, operational practices, and communications to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.