Wine row leaves sour taste

One of the Barnett Government’s most senior MPs has lashed out at the decision to axe a rebate scheme for WA winemakers, saying it had “sideswiped” the industry and should be reversed. Barry House, the Legislative Council President who is also South West Liberal MP, criticised the decision to scrap the so-called cellar door subsidy to save $11 million over four years. The subsidy is paid as a top-up to wine producers once they have exhausted their maximum entitlement of $500,000 under a Federal rebate scheme.