Backpacker inquiry recommends Government allow people on JobSeeker coronavirus payment to work on farms

Australians on JobSeeker would still be able to receive the unemployment benefit while also earning money harvesting crops and working on farms, under a bold recommendation by a Government-dominated parliamentary inquiry. Key points: The inquiry has heard that agricultural industries are struggling to find workers The number of people in Australia on working holiday visas has almost halved since international borders closed Currently, unemployment benefits are docked portions of payments if they earn over a certain amount An interim report by the inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker Program has An interim report by the inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker Program has also recommended that HECS and HELP fees for university courses be discounted for students who work in regional areas and that a one-off government payment be established to cover travel and accommodation costs for workers that move to regional and remote areas. The inquiry recommended that for the next year "workers stay on JobSeeker payments while undertaking low-paid agricultural and horticultural work", but did not specify how much money Centrelink recipients could earn, or the tasks they could be employed to do. Plan to get students working on farms The interim report has recommended Government "urgently develop a 'Have A Gap Year At Home Campaign'" to attract young Australians to work on farms. Assistance to help people move One of the other recommendations from the inquiry was a one-off Government payment to help workers meet travel and accommodation costs "after a certain period of time working in regional, rural, remote areas".