Farmers are already under pressure with the cost of fuel, fertiliser, chemicals, machinery, finance and Labor's threat to their right to farm. Backpackers have long helped fill harvest labour gaps.

I am calling on Labor to take the handbrake off the harvest and get on with processing WHM visas and this week in Canberra have been taking up the fight for our farmers.

Labor’s private health rebate cut will hit older Australians hardest. More than 1.2 million pensioners could be affected, forcing many to reduce or abandon cover and adding pressure to already stretched public hospitals.

TOPICS: Working Holiday Makers, risk to harvest, subclass 417 visa processing delays, Labor migration policy, visa overstayers, skills mix and migration priorities

TOPICS: opinion polls, policy development, public interest in One Nation, regional opposition to Labor policies, Victorian Premier comments on Daniel Andrews statue & roads

TOPICS: migration numbers, working holiday makers, visa processing delays, productivity, overstayers, international student visa abuse, harvest deadline, regional workforce shortages, Coalition migration priorities

TOPICS: Working Holiday Maker visa, migration numbers, visa processing delays, visa overstayers, Labor disconnect with regions, PALM scheme

“Harvest doesn’t wait for Tony Burke and Anthony Albanese to sort out their visa mess ... Farmers are preparing to operate multimillion-dollar machinery, harvesting crops worth hundreds of thousands of dollars every day. "

TOPICS: Housing tax settings, housing completions, visas for farm workers, harvest pressure, net overseas migration, public servant numbers, Labor's migration settings