Culture of compliance and external corrective actions

Culture of compliance 

To create a ‘culture of compliance’ in the sector the following actions are taken on an ongoing basis: 

• the inspection program each year includes a mix of states, and old and new regions 
• wineries which exhibit regular or potentially serious errors (usually associated with export approval procedures) are subject to more frequent scrutiny 
• during inspections, time is spent discussing the current label range of the winery and the various laws which are applicable 
• new wineries are identified and provided with a range of regulatory information and an offer to provide a label advisory service 
• offers are made to talk to regional associations and tertiary educational bodies when a regional visit for inspection purposes is proposed 
• wine compliance brochures are widely distributed to the broader grape and wine community, including relevant students and lecturers, label designers, and manufacturers, and 
• compliance awareness and issues are regularly featured in Wine Australia publications.

External corrective actions 

Wine Australia’s stated objective in relation to export controls is to preserve Australian wine’s international reputation for quality and integrity. Wine Australia acknowledges that breaches range from accidental, deliberate or recurring non-compliance to serious breaches of food law involving health risks to consumers and long-term damage to 

the international reputation of Australian wine. Wine Australia’s regulatory posture acknowledges that its regulatory response should be proportionate to the seriousness and the risks posed by a breach. 

Acts or omissions that are likely to invoke a regulatory response by Wine Australia include but are not limited to: 

• accidental or deliberate failure to provide accurate and adequate records in accordance with the LIP 
• accidental or deliberate non-compliance with labelling or analysis requirements 
• sale or export of wine that is unmerchantable 
• failure to meet requirements of an importing country, or 
• any act or omission that has the potential to compromise the reputation of Australian wine.