Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that the National Farmers Federation said on Saturday:

Industry has been calling for a dedicated Agricultural Visa for over 12 months now. We have been talking to the Government … Evidently they have not been listening.

Has the Deputy Prime Minister raised any concerns with you, Prime Minister, about the government's failure to deliver this visa?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll repeat it again—

Mr Christensen interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Dawson will cease interjecting. The Prime Minister has the call.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our government believes that Australian jobs should go to Australians first. That's what we believe. And we believe that, where jobs are available in rural and regional areas, we must do everything we possibly can to put Australians in those jobs. Where Australians who are on welfare refuse to take those jobs, then we do not believe they should be continuing to access welfare payments, when they are ready and fit and able to do that work.

As I just said in response to the previous question, where there is a defined shortage of labour, particularly for the upcoming harvest, we'll be addressing that need with our visa program to ensure that the working holiday-maker visa scheme, the Pacific Labour Scheme and the seasonal worker scheme will be tailored to meet those shortages. And we're very keen for the agricultural sector to work with us very specifically, and we have asked the national farmers and others to assist us in this task, to identify where those shortages are and we will work together to address those shortages. In the longer term, the visa arrangements that are proposed are ones that will be considered by the government but, in the short term, we need to ensure we get the fruit off the vine and that is what we're acting to do right now.