Australian Wine Industry Code of Conduct
A new Australian Wine Industry Code of Conduct was launched in December 2008. The Dispute Resolution aspects of the Code will apply immediately for signatories for the 2009 vintage. All elements of the Code will apply to new contracts and major variations of agreements between grapegrowers and wineries about the sale and purchase of wine grapes from the 2009 vintage and beyond.
The aim of the voluntary Code is two-fold: firstly to establish a common Australian wine grape supply contract framework and secondly, to provide a dispute resolution system to manage disagreements which exist over price or quality assessments.
The Code has been developed by Wine Grape Growers Australia (WGGA) and the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) in the interests of a sustainable Australian wine industry and follows a recommendation by a Federal Senate enquiry in 2005. The research and development of the Code has been supported by the Federal Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
For further information, please download the documents listing on the right which outline the key elements of the Code and answers to the most commonly asked questions, along with advice on how to gain more information.