It might not have passed the attention of some of you that John Howard’s Government was re-elected without so much as uttering a word about the wine industry. The Winemaker’s Federation of Australia was entirely unable to introduce issues like wine taxation and the wine industry’s role in rural infrastructure and tourism into the debate. While the events of September 11 obviously triggered a very different election campaign, it should be clear by now to the WFA that it needs to lift its rapport with both sides of politics. The WFA especially needs to mend its bridges with the Government, for it is not is the industry’s best interests that the relationship remains more antagonist than mutually cooperative.
