SA’s Riverland quarantine facility ‘gold standard’ to bring in seasonal workers, federal minister says

SA’s Paringa Resort quarantine facility has been dubbed the ‘gold standard’ as states struggle to get enough seasonal workers to pick fruit.

South Australia’s quarantine facility for seasonal workers is being hailed as the “gold standard” by federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.

His praise for the Paringa facility’s “regional and tailored approach” to get hundreds of workers through quarantine comes as Citrus SA says it expects growers will have enough workers for this year’s harvest.

More than 680 seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands have arrived in SA during Covid-19, and the state expects another 216 workers from Samoa on June 3.

“SA is in a far better position than my home state in Queensland where citrus producers in Gayndah are just watching fruit rot,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Their (SA’s) producers are going to make money this year because their government has actually moved and evolved as Covid has evolved.”

David Littleproud during Question Time. Picture: Gary Ramage

While almost 3000 Pacific Island seasonal workers were in Queensland as of April 6, Mr Littleproud said the state’s on-farm quarantine arrangement was very small because only so many producers could meet the required standard.

“The Paringa facility represents a regional and tailored approach that recognised the lower-risk posed by Pacific workers,” he said.

“It does this … effectively while protecting the safety of Australians.”

The Paringa Resort in the Riverland. Picture: Paringa Resort

The Paringa Resort was set up as a quarantine facility in March to bring up to 1200 workers into the Riverland, rather than through medi-hotels, amid fears of a labour shortage with closed borders.

Mr Littleproud also urged other states to follow SA’s lead to trial “in-country quarantine” with Fiji and Vanuatu, where workers will quarantine in their home country and then work immediately on arrival in Australia.

He said the trial was still being finalised by the state government but could reduce quarantine costs for growers.

“If we get the settings right, it actually is a pathway to prove to the country we can do this with our Pacific family and do this properly and safely,” Mr Littleproud said.

The Paringa Resort in the Riverland. Picture: Paringa Resort

Citrus SA chairman Mark Doecke said it would be “pretty tight” but growers would get through the harvest with enough seasonal workers arriving from overseas and interstate. “Weekenders” from Adelaide were also helping.

State Primary Industries Minister David Basham said it had been critical to find a safe solution to bring in seasonal workers. He said industry modelling showed a lack of workers could have wiped $1 billion from the SA economy.

Only four of the six flights to bring in seasonal workers had been required.

“The arriving workers are tested daily and are above and beyond the repatriation of returning Australians,” he said.