One of the leading organisations representing vegetable and potato growers in Australia, AUSVEG has welcomed the federal government’s recent announcement that the regulations that will allow for the creation of an Australian Agriculture Visa will be in place by the end of September.
The grower’s association said that the announcement that was co-signed by Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Immigration Minister Alex Hawke would do much to solve problems of shortage of labour that the horticulture industry was currently facing.
According to the announcement, the visa would be open to partner countries and these would be confirmed following government negotiations. AUSVEG said that it was understood that member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were high on the list of potential partners.
The government, according to the announcement, would also consult with the broader industry to get feedback on the design of the visa to meet the needs of the growers and the workers.
“The announcement is welcome news for vegetable and potato growers and a positive sign that the government is willing to listen to industry and work to deliver practical solutions to the industry’s significant labour shortages,” said AUSVEG CEO Michael Coote.
“The pandemic has exacerbated the industry’s chronic labour shortage, which has been estimated to reach up to 24,000 harvest workers in early 2022 for the coming peak harvest season.”
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“The confirmation on the start date for the visa and the commitment to consult with industry is a welcome step towards securing an efficient and reliable workforce, with the Agriculture Visa an important mechanism to bring workers who want to work on our farms into the country.”
“We now need countries to partner in the visa so that we can start bringing in workers from our neighbouring countries, which will not only help our businesses but workers and their communities significantly affected by the economic impacts of the pandemic.”
“While the visa is a great step forward, industry still faces the ongoing challenge of quarantine capacity, where the number of quarantine spaces doesn’t match industry’s need. We urge state and federal governments to work together to come to a solution as we fast approach our peak demand period,” said Mr Coote.
