Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Nationals for that question. National cabinet agreed on 21 August to the development of an agricultural workers code which would set out nationally consistent measures to support the movement of workers critical to the agricultural sector across state borders. The code would help to support individuals and occupations that help ensure the continuity of the agricultural sector. Without these workers, agriculture in Australia comes to a halt, with all of the consequences of that, including for people in the city. That is very important for all of us to remember. This includes not just on-farm workers, such as shearers, grain harvesters and fruit pickers, but also those who provide agricultural businesses with critical services, such as vets and agricultural mechanics. Sheep still need shearing, crops still need harvesting and animals still need to be attended to by vets. There have been recent encouraging changes to exemptions in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia, but there is more work to be done with the New South Wales-Victorian border, in particular.