The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has warned the Federal Government is putting Australia’s food security, regional economies and farm safety at risk if it pushes ahead with a crackdown on Working Holiday Maker visas without urgent consultation with the industries that rely on them.
NFF President Hamish McIntyre said farmers were furious that Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s migration announcement confirmed a three-month processing timeframe for Working Holiday Makers when approvals had previously taken only days.
“This is a low blow for farmers and the businesses that produce Australia’s food and fibre,” Mr McIntyre said.
“The Government’s unilateral slowdown on Working Holiday Maker visas has already caused havoc across agriculture ahead of the busiest time of year for food and fibre production.
“Today’s announcement does not fix the crisis the Government created. A three-month processing target leaves farmers completely stranded with harvest already underway in parts of Queensland and the main season only weeks away.
“Working Holiday Makers fill about one in seven farm jobs making them central to getting food and fibre produced, harvested, packed and into supermarkets.
“The Government’s move to introduce a ballot for second and third-year Working Holiday Makers may be a step in the right direction if it protects regional work and keeps workers flowing to the farms and towns that need them. However, a ballot will mean little if the system cannot process people in time.
“Agriculture has been named as a priority sector, and that recognition is welcome. But agriculture, fishing and aquaculture should have been given a separate line in Direction 119 and considered by Government on the same level as defence and teaching.
“Burying food production in a long list of priorities does not reflect the urgency or scale of the workforce challenge now facing farms, fisheries and regional supply chains.
“Farmers need approvals in days, not months. For many farms, three months is the difference between harvesting a crop and losing it.
“The Government has been asleep at the wheel on this issue and now risks careering off the road at the worst possible time for Australian agriculture.”
The NFF has been working with organisations across agriculture and the broader economy to demonstrate the importance of Working Holiday Makers to farms, regional businesses and local communities. It has also sought urgent engagement with Government and all sides of politics, including through a joint letter to the Prime Minister and requests to meet with Minister Burke.
Mr McIntyre said the Government’s July decision to slow parts of the Working Holiday Maker system without warning or meaningful consultation had hurt industry deeply, and today’s announcement failed to provide the immediate relief needed.
“This is not how serious policy is made. You do not switch off, slow down or redesign an important workforce pathway on the eve of harvest and expect farmers, contractors, processors and regional communities to absorb the damage.
“We are already hearing from farms where Queensland harvest has started, dairy businesses are relying on extreme overtime to cover hours left vacant by visa delays, and individual farming contractors are waiting on dozens of approvals ahead of silage and main harvest windows.
“Every extra day of uncertainty pushes safety risks and stress onto farmers and workers already carrying unsustainable workloads.”
Mr McIntyre said the farming sector was facing intense cost pressure, with broadacre cropping profits expected to fall sharply this season, driven partly by rising fuel and fertiliser costs.
“At a time when farm businesses are already staring down a projected 39% reduction in broadacre cropping profits, adding avoidable workforce shortages is disastrous policy.
“When farms cannot get workers at the right time, crops are left unpicked, livestock care becomes harder, safety risks rise for people working unsustainable hours, and households ultimately pay the price at the checkout.
“This is about the basics: food on shelves, regional businesses staying open, and farmers being able to run safe and productive operations.
“If this Government is serious about cost of living pressures, it will turn the tap back on the Working Holiday Maker program and consult genuinely with the industry that produces Australia’s food and fibre.”
“If the Government wants to end rorts, then it should target the rorts. It should not punish the farmers doing the right thing or the regional communities that depend on a workforce pathway that has helped feed this country for decades.”
Key facts on WHM
- Australia has the most desired WHM visa program in the world, attracting over 200,000 WHMs every year.
- Working Holiday Makers fill roughly one in seven farm jobs nationally.
- They make up around 14% of all farm worker jobs and are especially important during peak demand periods, including around 44% of the horticulture workforce, 31% of grains, 26% of red meat and 25% of cotton workers.
- They can supply up to 80% of peak harvest labour in fresh produce.
- About 52,000 Working Holiday Makers work in horticulture each year.
- They are expected to spend $4.68 billion annually in the Australian economy, including about $726 million directly in regional communities.
- During the covid pandemic, labour shortages contributed to fresh produce price increases of 15-25%.
- Deloitte Access Economics has estimated the absence of Working Holiday Makers from horticulture would cost the industry $6.3 billion, put 127,000 supply-chain jobs at risk and reduce GDP by $13 billion.
- Click here to download the Regional Impacts of Working Holiday Makers report.