Unionists are calling for the working holiday maker visa to be abolished so that farmers employ young people in rural areas.
There are currently an estimated 130,000 people on the working holidaymaker visa employed across the sector though backpacker numbers have fallen by 50,000 since Australia introduced COVID-19 restrictions earlier in the year.
Union bosses, such as the AWU national secretary Daniel Walton, say the pandemic has shown an over-reliance on overseas workers even though regional unemployment is high.
“Farmers need to attract Australians back into the horticulture workforce,” Mr Walton told the ABC. “The concept that Australians don’t want this work isn’t just wrong, it’s offensive. All work is dignified and should be respected.”
Unions also state that evidence shows “systematic and widespread exploitation” in Australia’s horticulture with several legal proceedings involving packpackers currently underway.
The submission to a federal review of the farm workforce came days after industry body, the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA) told a parliamentary inquiry that removing working holidaymakers would cost the economy $13 billion and could drive up the price of horticulture by 60 per cent.
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Farmers argue that there aren’t enough Australian workers to fulfil the industry’s needs. State border closures are further compounding the problem.
The National Farmers’ Federation last month launched a job site to try to connect Australians looking for work with farmers with job seekers.
The Federal government also recently approved a pilot program for workers from Vanuatu to work on Australia’s mango farms with Agriculture Minister David Littleproud stating that local workers had an aversion to picking fruit. In response to calls for an end to the backpacker visa, Mr Littleproud said it was impractical for farmers to “live in hope that someone would turn up to harvest their crops”.
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