Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to indicate my support for the work of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration and to detail how crucially important a number of Australia's migration programs are to my electorate of Mallee. The economy of the north-west along the Murray River is dominated by the horticultural industry. ABARES data from 2019 indicates that the output of Mallee's top three horticultural products—almonds, table grapes and oranges—accounted for almost 100 per cent of Victoria's production of these crops. The combined gross value of these products was over $700 million. These industries are heavily reliant on seasonal workers, including working holiday makers, backpackers and Pacific Islanders working under the Seasonal Worker Program. This is particularly true for the table grapes and citrus industries. Seasonal workers provide an invaluable contribution to our local economy. They fill seasonal demand that is not met by locals. Since coming to office I have been working closely with growers and employers in my electorate, listening to feedback on Australia's migration programs and raising concerns with relevant ministers. On two occasions I have facilitated roundtables with local stakeholders and several ministers to discuss seasonal workforce issues. This has been an effective way for locals to raise their concerns about Australia's migration programs. The Seasonal Worker Program, SWP, often draws the most attention and discussion in our region. The federal government listened to the feedback coming out of my electorate and implemented the Regional Agriculture Migration Package, which included extension and expansion of the Seasonal Worker Program pilot, measures to resolve accommodation challenges related to seasonal migration, and more effective channels for communication and coordination.

More recently, in July, I met with Jan O'Connor and Nathan Falvo, two locals who operate labour contracting businesses in my electorate. As approved employers under the Seasonal Worker Program, they have intimate knowledge of the program—its strengths and its weaknesses. They have concerns that some workers coming to Australia under this program have not received adequate induction or are not ready for life in Australia. I'm pleased to say that the ministers involved, specifically Minister Cash, Minister Tudge and Minister Hawke, have taken this feedback on board and are actively engaged in improving the program for growers and employers in Mallee. I would like to thank these ministers for their continued support and readiness to receive and act on feedback.

Limits on international travel and border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have presented new challenges and concerns for industry, employers and the workers themselves. The Commonwealth government's quick action to extend new temporary visas to more than 4,000 people was welcomed in my electorate and has helped to reduce the concerns of workers who were fearful of overstaying their visa due to travel restrictions. The closure of the New South Wales and Victorian border a few weeks ago caused huge issues for growers, contractors and workers that frequently require access to both states for operation of their business. The New South Wales government initially denied border exemptions for visa-holding seasonal workers based on the supposed health risks presented by this cohort. These essential workers were deemed to be potential superspreaders of the virus, as stated by the New South Wales minister for agriculture.

The citrus industry was in the middle of its picking season when this decision was announced. I discussed this serious issue with the CEO of Citrus Australia, Nathan Hancock, who immediately saw the potential for this measure to have devastating impacts on the industry. I fought for this decision to be revoked and for common sense to prevail. Suggestions by senior officials in the New South Wales government that this move would not cause significant problems for the agriculture industry could not have been further from the truth. At the time Mr Hancock estimated that 1,200 seasonal workers along the Victoria/New South Wales border were affected by the ban and that over $2 million worth of citrus would fall to the ground as a result. To their credit, the New South Wales government opened effective channels of communication for border MPs and senators such as myself through the office of the New South Wales Cross Border Commissioner. The federal Nationals, including Damien Drum, the member for Nicholls; Bridget McKenzie, senator for Victoria; and Perin Davey, senator for New South Wales and I joined daily briefings with the Cross Border Commissioner, James McTavish, to campaign for this measure to be changed. In my view this was an incredibly discriminatory policy, and I'm glad that the New South Wales government reversed their position and made accommodations for these essential workers.

The spike in cases of COVID-19 in Melbourne has led to a need for tighter controls around the movement of people in the whole state of Victoria. So far the Andrews Labor government has met this need with stage 4 restrictions in metropolitan areas and with blanket stage 3 restrictions—

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