‍DR ANNE WEBSTER MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL HEALTH
SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

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

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Cheng Lei  

You're back with Newsday. Concerns are being raised in the regions about the impacts a migration overhaul could have on farmers when it comes to harvest. Joining me live to discuss is Shadow Minister for Regional Health and Communications and Nationals MP for Mallee, Anne Webster. Hi there, Anne, thank you for coming on the show. How concerned are farmers, especially your constituents, about the upcoming harvest, which is in four weeks?

Webster  

Absolutely, they're incredibly concerned, Lei, and they've been contacting me, in fact, I've been out in the electorate this week talking with farmers and more and more young farmers as well, which is a little unusual, but the great concern is about being able to get labour for the harvest. So, this is not ordinary labour, we're not talking about people just popping over from Asia. These are working holiday makers who come to Australia year after year from the UK, from Canada, from Ireland, and they have great expertise in driving one and a half million dollar headers. I mean, it's no mean feat, and so they're experts, and they come over here year after year. What has happened under Labor is that one can only be, you know -  thoughtful - about why Labor are putting the brakes on these - this visa category - is because they know they're in trouble with their migration numbers. This is the wrong visa to be slowing down. We need these people in the country. Farmer after farmer is talking to me about how important these people are - one header can actually harvest $300,000 worth of grain in a day. This is not a small operation, and our farmers are deeply concerned because they rely nearly on 50 per cent of working holiday makers to come across to assist them in broad acre farming. The fact is, locals don't want the jobs, and training them up now, if the government keeps these brakes on, is just not doable. The farmers are telling me you need a lot of time to train people on these extremely complex pieces of machinery.

Cheng Lei  

So, given the fact that now the government has slowed processing of working holiday maker visas, would you want a dedicated fast lane for these repeat, experienced agricultural workers? Would you want exemptions for source countries, you know, with low visa abuse rates, like the UK, Ireland, Canada?

Webster  

Look, the fact is that we had a visa processing for working holiday makers that was even on the department's website that it's one day - one day! - to get that turnaround. These people are repeat, as I said, returnees to Australia under the working holiday makers program, and there should be no reason to hold these people up. What the government needs to do is deal with all of the overstayers. And while you know there is a small percentage, some teeny percentage of working holiday makers (largely from the UK), who have overstayed, it is not what we're talking about. And we need these workers in Australia. Our farmers desperately need these workers in Australia,

Cheng Lei  

Are you getting much of a response from the government on this issue?

Webster  

Look, I've been talking with Jono Duniam, I've been talking with Matt Canavan, I know conversations are happening. Tony Burke is, you know, theoretically looking at this, but we need him to stop looking and just do what needs to be done. Take the brakes off the working holiday maker program, and allow these workers into the regions. If he wants to limit it to the regions, I'm not particularly fussed. But the reality is, we need the workers, so he's got to act because this impacts our productivity. The farmers tell me that if the grain doesn't come off in the right time, then it devalues the entire crop. That means that the productivity in Australia continues to plummet. I know it's in the news headlines today. Productivity is not improving under this government.

Cheng Lei  

Is this because the government sees the working holiday makers as an easy area to restrict versus, say, family reunion or refugee visas?

Webster  

Well, I think the thing is that almost all Labor politicians are living in cities. This kind of broad-acre farming-they really don't understand. They have shown it time and time again with the policies that they have introduced, that are cramping and holding up agriculture and the productivity levels in agriculture. So, it's .. you know, none of us should be surprised that they're also picking on working holiday makers for the regions, and it's just unacceptable. They need to understand how dependent we are on those people coming into Australia.

Cheng Lei  

We know the government is trying to ramp up Pacific Australia Labour Mobility or PALM program, but that involves more lead times and is more costly.

Webster  

Well, and it's also the kind of worker that you're getting in when you're bringing in these highly skilled people. And the farmers tell me they're highly skilled from the UK or Ireland or Canada. That is a different kind of worker than the PALM scheme. We have many, many PALM workers in my patch in the electorate of Mallee. They do a fantastic job. They have their purposes and their roles to play. But when you're talking about very technical and very expensive, enormous equipment, you've got to have the right person in for the right job. That's just the way it works, and the government needs to look in the right places. To all the overstayers, the criminal - criminal! - element of overstayers who've had their visas cancelled, why aren't they out of Australia? That's actually the big question the government needs to answer, and they just seem to be incompetent at managing that.

Cheng Lei  

Right. Thank you so much for your insights. Enjoy your weekend, Anne Webster.

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