By Juliano Oliveira
The Federal Government has made amendments to the 1994 migration regulation in an attempt to alleviate the workforce shortages in the agriculture and primary industry sectors across the country.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the modifications in London last week. A new visa stream on 30 September 2021 will provide for workers’ entry and temporary stay across primary industries sectors.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt, on his website page, said the agricultural visa would be a vital stepping stone in the recovery of the farm sector.
“The visa will be open to applicants from a range of countries and will be available to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers, and as expected, international workers will undergo necessary quarantine and COVID-19 testing before commencing work.”
In a note to the press, Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the permission would be the most significant structural change to the rural sector workforce in the nation’s history.
“The visa will also be available to the fisheries, forestry and agricultural processing sectors and will target seasonal workers, skilled and semi-skilled workers,” Mr Littleproud said.
“It will be open to applicants from a range of countries, and we are already in talks with a number of countries in our region who are eager to participate.”
Mr Littleproud said that new visa regulations would complement the Pacific programs in place, which have been critical in supporting Australian primary industries.
“The Pacific will remain the key pathway for the sector to access workers for this harvest, with the government committing to double the number of Pacific workers in Australia by March 2022.”
The Department of Home Affairs and Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has become responsible for the new visa implementation.
