Damian Drum (Nicholls, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) horticulture is essential to the Australian economy and is critical for the nation's food security;

(b) the gross value of horticultural production in Australia was forecast by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) to be $12.6 billion in 2020-21, of which the value of fruit and tree nut production was forecast to be $5.3 billion; and

(c) the Victorian Goulburn Valley region produces almost 50 per cent of the value of Victoria's fruits, excluding grapes, worth $337 million;

(2) recognises that:

(a) ABARES estimated in the 2019 peak harvest months from February onwards that there were 63,300 overseas workers in Australia; and

(b) international travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic has left a massive shortfall in available labour for fruit growers;

(3) acknowledges that:

(a) the Government developed a pathway for 20,000 Pacific Islanders to be available for seasonal work; and

(b) the Queensland and Northern Territory Governments acted to support producers by bringing in Pacific Islanders for harvest; and

(4) condemns the Victorian Government for its delay in delivering a means for Victorian producers to access Pacific Island workers while fruit goes unpicked and vegetables are ploughed into the ground.

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