Producers will be feeling a keen sense of déjà vu today with yet another announcement on an agriculture visa that delivers nothing as crippling workforce shortages grow.
Today’s latest announcement just raises more serious questions but won’t mean one more worker makes it onto Australian farms this summer, with borders still closed after Mr Morrison failed his two jobs this year: deliver national quarantine and effectively rollout the vaccine.
The Morrison-Joyce Government’s addiction to temporary visa holders has contributed to the exploitation of agriculture workers, not to mention wage suppression across the wider economy.
However, there is no detail in today’s announcement from the Morrison-Joyce Government about how this Agriculture visa will protect workers against the shocking examples of exploitation we have seen before.
This new visa also has the potential to undermine key elements of the Pacific Step Up including the Seasonal Workers Programme and the Pacific Labour Scheme at time when our relationship with the region has never been more important.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has clearly been rolled by Nationals Leader Barnaby Joyce and Australia’s Pacific relationships will suffer as a consequence.
Today’s announcement does nothing to address these serious concerns. How can anyone trust the Nationals to deliver?
Last year, David Littleproud repeatedly pointed to 25,000 pre-vetted Pacific workers that would help fix labour shortages.
But by his own admission in June this year, ‘less than 7000’ had made it to Australia.
The Government is still yet to respond to the recommendations of the National Agricultural Workforce Strategy handed to it in October.
These workforce issues are hurting farms across the country and driving up the cost of fresh produce for consumers.
All Australians are now paying the price for the Government’s inaction.
The Morrison-Joyce Government must come clean with real details of the proposed agriculture visa and finally fix workforce issues on Australian farms.