DAL Zotto Wines owners put Liberal senator Richard Colbeck on notice about improved telecommunications in the King Valley as part of a two-day visit to Indi.
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Senator Colbeck visited two wineries in the area, Campbells and Dal Zotto, during his visit with pending reforms to the wine equalisation tax on the agenda.
But on the parliamentary secretary for agriculture's trip to the King Valley on Tuesday he discovered poor mobile phone coverage and unreliable internet service were equally high concerns.
"The King Valley is a growing region with increased visitation and the infrastructure around us needs to come up to a level that is acceptable," Michael Dal Zotto said.
"We've been having continuing issues with our internet service for the last eight years.
"It is also raised by the continuing influx of people coming into the area.
"There is a real lag between when they send texts or post something on Facebook."
Six mobile phone towers were earmarked for the Wangaratta Council area including Edi Upper in the King Valley in the first stage roll out of federal funding announced recently.
Senator Colbeck was joined on the visit by Liberal candidate Sophie Mirabella, who conceded telecomunnications can be improved in the areas around Whitfield.
"It will all be fed into the next round of mobile phone blackspots," she said.
"The area was partially covered, but there are obviously still gaps."
Late last week the federal government released a discussion paper on the wine equalisation tax introduced nearly a decade ago.
Four options are on the table including abolishing the rebate scheme altogether, a replacement a grant scheme to be eventually phased out , a ban on bulk and unbranded wine producers from the scheme and a tighter definition of "producer of wine".
"The intent when it was first brought in was to help smaller wineries and cellar doors compete better in the market-place," Mr Dal Zotto said.
Mrs Mirabella said she had been approached by local wineries about suggested improvements to the rebate.
New Zealand wine producers are fighting to retain access to the rebate.
Mrs Mirabella said the Winemakers Federation had raised the issue of whether New Zealand should be part of the scheme any more.
"It is a significant issue for them … and is the rebate being used by the those it wasn't intended for such as the very large corporates,” Mrs Mirabella said.
"It is open to quite a broad group of people."