The Liberal and Nationals Government has invested $90,000 in the Winemakers of Rutherglen Digital Project to future proof the organisation and drive economic recovery and resilience in the region.
The Rutherglen Revival Digital Project will support 18 winemakers across the region to become digitally enabled with an e-commerce platform, creating alternate routes to market and driving growth.
Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Senator the Hon. Bridget McKenzie said overall program funding was boosted to $390 million to further support communities around Australia to recover from the 2019-20 bushfires.
“It was important that we funded projects based on need and merit and which offered a lasting and tangible impact, tailored to local needs and conditions. The quality of the Rutherglen Revival Digital Project shows that our ‘locally led’ approach works.
The Nationals Candidate for Indi, Liz Fisher, knows the importance of diverse distribution and market options to run a successful business, being a local farmer.
Mrs Fisher said, “The Liberal and Nationals Government support through this grant will see Winemakers of Rutherglen members able to use the latest technology to find alternative ways to access existing markets and grow new ones.
“New customers will increase demand and this will see increased viticulture and manufacturing in the Rutherglen region, driving our regional economy and supporting local jobs and communities,” Mrs Fisher said.
The funding has already allowed for the creation of an online Regional Wine Store where all 18 member wineries are able to have their products marketed to endconsumers and dispatched within 24-36 hours with free delivery Australia-wide.
“It’s extremely early days in terms of implementation however the ground we’ve been
able to cover as a result of the grant funding is a credit to the vision of the Winemakers of Rutherglen board; the enthusiastic adoption of digital by our members; the unwavering commitment of key stakeholders to deliver to tight
timelines and of course the faith and trust placed in the project by Senator McKenzie,” said Scott Burton who is leading the project implementation.
“As part of the $2.1 billion National Bushfire Recovery Fund, the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants program is backing projects which the affected communities have said will best support their ongoing recovery,” Senator McKenzie
said.
“We understand that recovery from bushfires takes time, and we will continue to support impacted communities through their recovery from the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020.”
Details of the funded projects are available on the National Recovery and Resilience Agency website at: https://recovery.gov.au/programs/black-summer-grants
Media contact:
Minister McKenzie: Chris Williams 0448 901 016
Liz Fisher: 0493 290 596