Labor’s tricky words break farmers’ hearts
Labor has today broken the hearts of farmers and rural and regional communities battling workforce shortages, confirming it will not continue with the Ag Visa, despite tricky words to the contrary. “Unfortunately, Labor has today confirmed its intention to do away with the farmer-developed Ag Visa,” NFF CEO Tony Mahar said. “The NFF and our […]
Faster progress needed on Ag Visa negotiations
National Farmers’ Federation President Fiona Simson has implored the Government to expand its focus when negotiating partner countries for the Ag Visa. Speaking at a NSW Farm Writers event in Sydney today, Ms Simson said faster progress was needed on the visa, as announced by the Government last September. “We welcomed the Government’s committment, led […]
NFF leads program to foster Australian agriculture’s next generation
Today, on National Agriculture Day, the National Farmers’ Federation is announcing AgCAREERSTART. AgCAREERSTART is a pilot, 24-month program for school leavers to try a job in agriculture and experience the unique opportunities the sector has to offer. An agriculture gap year has been a central component of the NFF’s 2030 Roadmap. “We’re pleased to be […]
Quad Bike Safety Policy
The NFF recognises the essential nature of quad bikes to many Australian farm businesses. The NFF is committed to safeguarding farmers’ continued access to quad bikes by supporting sensible, evidence-backed measures to significantly improve the safety of these vehicles – ensuring that legal and regulatory consequences of their associated dangers do not constrict their availability […]
Dedicated Agriculture Visa
The Australian agriculture sector is an economic powerhouse with huge potential for expansion, but the rate at which the sector is able to grow and prosper depends largely on its ability to overcome serious labour shortages. To provide a stable and sustainable workforce for agriculture that is fair and equitable for both workers and employers, […]
Know the facts about OPDs and quad bike safety changes
Already in 2020, 14 Australians have been killed in quad bike accidents. At least 267 Australians have died in quad bike related incidents since 2001. On average, there are 16 quad bike related deaths per year. The human toll Quad bikes remain a popular farm vehicle, but the danger they pose can’t be denied. Almost […]
NFF Guidance for Employers: Classification of Long-Term Casual Employees
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has compiled a one pager that contains information about the recent Full Federal Court decision in the matter of WorkPac v Rossato. The decision confirms that employees who were notionally engaged as casuals but can demonstrate that they were working fixed, regular shifts are considered to be permanent employees in […]
Certainty for farm workforce continuity & safety
The National Farmers’ Federation and its members have thanked the Government for providing foreign workers the opportunity to extend their visas and keep working on Australian farms. The NFF and its members have been working collaboratively with the Government on the issue of farm workforce stability and safety for some time. The decision to extend […]
Farmers win in High Court piece work battle
Horticulture farmers can breathe a sigh of relief following a common-sense ruling in defence of existing piece work provisions. The High Court of Australia today accepted the National Farmers’ Federation arguments in refusing the Fair Work Ombudsman’s special leave application, in which they sought permission to lodge an appeal against the split decision of the […]
Workforce planning and migration issues
Overseas workers play a small but important part in the Australian agricultural industry, helping farmers fill labour shortages at peak times when local labour is difficult to access. Migration programs are designed to be secondary sources of labour, with employers looking to Australian workers first, before filling gaps with overseas workers where necessary. In 2010-11, […]