Agriculture visa to be ditched, Labor says, looking to Pacific to fill worker shortage as election looms
2 years, 11 months ago

Agriculture visa to be ditched, Labor says, looking to Pacific to fill worker shortage as election looms

ABC  

A federal Labor government would effectively axe Australia's agriculture visa before a foreign worker could arrive on the scheme, the party has announced. Key points: The agriculture visa was announced by the Coalition last year but no workers have arrived on the scheme An Albanese government would pay travel costs associated with bringing workers from the Pacific The VFF says Labor did not consult with it before making the "disappointing" announcement The Opposition says an Albanese Labor government would instead establish a new agriculture stream within the existing Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, replacing the specific visa for forestry, fishery, and farm workers announced by the Coalition last year. Labor says its government would also pay the up-front travel costs of Pacific workers travelling to Australia, allow Pacific workers to bring their families to live and work here, and promote permanent residency on a new Pacific Engagement Visa. Accusations of 'repackaging' Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said scrapping the agriculture visa would "impose a cost of living increase on every Australian".

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History of this topic

Farmer demand for Pacific Islander seasonal workers is falling — and it could be backpackers taking their place
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Farmer demand for Pacific Islander seasonal workers is falling — and it could be backpackers taking their place

ABC  

Demand for Pacific Island seasonal workers is falling after a post-COVID boom in numbers — and backpackers might be taking their place. "That's appealing, whereas seasonal workers are on a contract.” Dr Curtain said for PALM workers on longer contracts in agriculture, employer demand has fallen even more. But he said the drop in demand for Pacific Australia Labour Mobility …

Coming Soon: Australia’s Pacific Engagement Visa
1 year, 4 months ago

Coming Soon: Australia’s Pacific Engagement Visa

The Diplomat  

Despite the close relationships Australia has with Pacific Island countries, increased strategic competition in the South Pacific has led Canberra to seek further pathways to integration. The Pacific Engagement Visa will allow up to 3,000 nationals of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste to migrate to Australia as permanent residents each year. The new visa is built on the success of …

Parliament clears path for Pacific Visa and opens the door to 3,000 annual immigrants
1 year, 5 months ago

Parliament clears path for Pacific Visa and opens the door to 3,000 annual immigrants

ABC  

Labor is claiming a major foreign policy victory after federal parliament passed legislation to deliver its Pacific Engagement Visa, opening the door to 3,000 people from the Pacific to settle permanently in Australia every year. Key points: The new visa legislation will allow for up to 3,000 immigrants from the Pacific to settle in Australia yearly Some Pacific nations have …

Pacific Islander workers on Australian farms hit near-record numbers as their families feel the strain of 'painful dollar'
1 year, 6 months ago

Pacific Islander workers on Australian farms hit near-record numbers as their families feel the strain of 'painful dollar'

ABC  

The evenings are always the hardest for Nai Misipeka. "I think it's the ultimate win-win," Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy told the ABC. Pacific leaders raise it regularly, with Samoa's prime minister recently stating it was rivalling climate change as the "number one" issue the country faced. "I hate to say it if worse comes to worse, we'll get …

Pacific countries are not 'outposts' to grow labourers for Australia, Samoan PM says
1 year, 6 months ago

Pacific countries are not 'outposts' to grow labourers for Australia, Samoan PM says

ABC  

Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa has again raised deep concerns about the exodus of Pacific workers to Australia and New Zealand, arguing that countries like hers should not been seen merely as "outposts" which "grow" labourers for developed nations. Key points: The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme has helped fill labour shortages But countries like Samoa, Vanuatu and Tonga …

Changes to Pacific Islander Labour Mobility scheme lack seasonal flexibility, growers say
1 year, 7 months ago

Changes to Pacific Islander Labour Mobility scheme lack seasonal flexibility, growers say

ABC  

The horticulture industry is warning that changes to the Pacific Islander Labour Mobility scheme in Australia could mean fewer fresh fruits and vegetables will be stocked on supermarket shelves. Key points: Growers say changes to the PALM scheme lack the flexibility required for farm operations Industry representatives say there was a lack of meaningful consultation The workers' union backs the …

Coalition to oppose Pacific visa 'lottery' to bring more workers to Australia
2 years ago

Coalition to oppose Pacific visa 'lottery' to bring more workers to Australia

ABC  

The federal opposition has ruled out backing a new Pacific visa lottery scheme, labelling it as arbitrary and patronising to the Pacific community at home and abroad. Key points: The government's visa lottery would offer work rights to up to 3,000 people from the Pacific The Coalition says it backs the principle but not the lottery element Without the Coalition's …

Pacific Islanders and leaders welcome new Australia visa lottery scheme, with places set to be in high demand
2 years, 1 month ago

Pacific Islanders and leaders welcome new Australia visa lottery scheme, with places set to be in high demand

ABC  

Standing just off the dusty main street of Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, 22-year-old Tiphany Maena is about to set off on a new adventure. Next month, the mother of two from the country's western province will hop on a plane and head to Queensland, joining thousands of Pacific Islanders working for the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme. The Pacific family …

Pacific farm workers who breached visas by working for wrong employers fight to get them back
2 years, 7 months ago

Pacific farm workers who breached visas by working for wrong employers fight to get them back

ABC  

A group of Pacific workers who breached their visa conditions are fighting to get them back, although advocates say it should never have reached this point. Key points: Under the PALM scheme, workers can only take jobs with approved employers Officials are attempting to reinstate some of the 24 Pacific workers who are still eligible to work Farmers say the …

Labor promises to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific with $525 million step up in foreign aid
2 years, 11 months ago

Labor promises to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific with $525 million step up in foreign aid

ABC  

Labor has promised to boost foreign aid to the Pacific by more than half a billion dollars as part of its broader election package to bolster Australia's diplomatic and strategic links in the region. Key points: Labor has committed to increasing aid to the Pacific to counter China's rising influence in the region Half a billion dollars more would be …

Farm labour shortage continues despite surge of working holiday visa applications
3 years, 1 month ago

Farm labour shortage continues despite surge of working holiday visa applications

ABC  

Almost all of the foreign backpackers granted a working holiday-maker visa since Australia announced it would lift its border restrictions remain overseas. Key points: AusVeg doesn't expect backpacker numbers to return to their previous levels for some time More than 31,000 working holiday visas have been issued since December The federal government is offering a refund for visa application fees …

New farm working visa to begin next month, providing pathway to permanent residence for foreigners
3 years, 7 months ago

New farm working visa to begin next month, providing pathway to permanent residence for foreigners

ABC  

A new visa that would allow foreigners to work on Australian farms will be in place from late next month, but it is not yet clear when the first workers on the agriculture visa could arrive and begin work. Key points: The Federal government has confirmed a new visa for farm, meat, fisheries and forestry workers The Nationals wanted the …

Coalition divided amid concerns agriculture visa could undermine Pacific Islands worker scheme
3 years, 9 months ago

Coalition divided amid concerns agriculture visa could undermine Pacific Islands worker scheme

ABC  

There is growing unease within the Coalition over the federal government's proposed new agriculture visa, as experts warn it could undermine Australia's flagship labour schemes for Pacific Island workers. Key points: The details of the new scheme are still unclear Unions have warned there would be an "explosion" of exploitation on farms Experts say it will compete with and undermine …

New agricultural visa to include South-East Asian workers but farmers remain unconvinced
3 years, 9 months ago

New agricultural visa to include South-East Asian workers but farmers remain unconvinced

ABC  

A new farm work visa will be offered to residents from 10 South-East Asian countries to help Australian farmers harvest their crops, but the nation's peak farm lobby insists it will only believe it when it sees it. Key points: Australia will establish a new visa to bring in farm workers from 10 ASEAN countries Nationals say support for the …

Pressure grows for new 'ag visa' to ease farm labour shortages
4 years, 3 months ago

Pressure grows for new 'ag visa' to ease farm labour shortages

ABC  

Pressure is mounting within the Federal Government to establish a new visa that would allow overseas workers to come to Australia to work on farms, with a Coalition-stacked committee of MPs reigniting the call for an "ag visa". Key points: A new parliamentary report says Australia should have a new visa created for farm workers An inquiry looking to grow …

Growers plead for fresh ideas after $150,000 worth of unpicked food ploughed back into paddocks
4 years, 5 months ago

Growers plead for fresh ideas after $150,000 worth of unpicked food ploughed back into paddocks

ABC  

A North Queensland vegetable grower says she may not plant next year after making the "soul-destroying" decision to plough the last of her 2020 crop back into the ground. Key points: Growers are already experiencing hundreds of labour vacancies across the northern region As the economy reopens, fewer backpacker will choose to work on farms One farmer says she will …

Fijian workers on Pacific Labour Scheme say they were fired over workplace injuries and faced deportation
4 years, 8 months ago

Fijian workers on Pacific Labour Scheme say they were fired over workplace injuries and faced deportation

ABC  

Sydney's winter air is completely foreign to Viliame Vuki and Atueta Daulaca as they sit braced against the cold. Key points: The Pacific Labour Scheme is administered by the Federal Government, and sees skilled workers come to Australia for up to three years The ABC has recently uncovered issues within the scheme, with workers feeling isolated and unsure who to …

Workers from Pacific Islands paying hundreds to live in cramped quarters in regional Australia
4 years, 9 months ago

Workers from Pacific Islands paying hundreds to live in cramped quarters in regional Australia

ABC  

Every week, six-foot-tall Andrew Suitupe hands over $150 to sleep on a tiny couch in a cramped share-house in regional Australia, thousands of kilometres from his Samoan home. Key points: Workers from the Pacific Island say they had shifts cut during the COVID-19 pandemic Their pay slips show they still had hundreds of dollars in deductions taken from their pay …

Labour shortages, hours of paperwork and uncertainty lead farmers to push for new 'ag visa'
6 years, 5 months ago

Labour shortages, hours of paperwork and uncertainty lead farmers to push for new 'ag visa'

ABC  

Fruit and vegetable growers say a lack of workers is keeping a lid on industry growth and leaving hundreds of tonnes of fruit at risk of being left on the ground every year. "We are never going to get labour security with an Australian workforce because there is no attraction for young people, there is no career path picking seasonal …

Calls for an overhaul of farm worker visas as unemployed Australians refuse to pick fruit
7 years, 5 months ago

Calls for an overhaul of farm worker visas as unemployed Australians refuse to pick fruit

ABC  

There are renewed calls for an overhaul of farm worker visas, with a trial aimed at getting unemployed people into agriculture attracting lacklustre support. Key points: A trial offering incentives to unemployed people who work on farms has attracted just 14 people The trial was adopted in return for the Nick Xenophon Team's support for backpacker tax changes last year …

Backpacker tax-driven worker slump on SA farms avoided as visa numbers remain steady
7 years, 5 months ago

Backpacker tax-driven worker slump on SA farms avoided as visa numbers remain steady

ABC  

Southern fruit growers seem to have been spared the fallout from the long-running backpacker tax saga as statistics show working holidaymakers are still hitting Australian shores. Australia's horticulture industry was last year left outraged as working holidaymakers faced the prospect of being taxed 32.5 per cent, with the rate eventually reduced to 15 per cent following months of debate. Riverland …

'Horticultural visa' needed to solve Top End labour issues
8 years ago

'Horticultural visa' needed to solve Top End labour issues

ABC  

A special horticulture visa is needed to help solve Northern Territory farmers' labour issues, according to a Top End melon grower. Middle Point melon grower Dave Cormac said every year there were fewer people available during the peak harvest season. Seasonal Worker Program not suited to small farms After struggling to find enough backpackers to pick his melons in the …

Fear of foreign workers strikes Australia again
12 years, 11 months ago

Fear of foreign workers strikes Australia again

ABC  

CHRIS UHLMANN, PRESENTER: The fear of cheap imported workers driving down wages is etched deep in Australia's psyche. GREG HOY: But won't mining companies simply prefer to use migrants workers with far less bargaining power? GREG HOY: As for 457 visas for more skilled migrants, employers are required by immigration law to pay migrants the same market rate as Australians, …

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