Backpacker arrives in Mildura for seasonal work, sent back to Melbourne by police
Backpackers have raised alarm in regional Victoria after one arrived from Melbourne without isolating, sparking calls for stricter measures.
Calls for stricter measures to stop backpackers spreading coronavirus in regional Victoria are mounting after one arrived without isolating.
A pair of backpackers raised alarm when they called a Mildura hostel on Wednesday asking to stay and said they weren’t required to quarantine even though they planned to travel from the Melbourne CBD on a V/Line bus to take up seasonal work.
Police met one of them at Mildura Railway Station after he made the journey despite warnings he didn’t have a valid reason for travel, while the other backpacker chose to stay in Melbourne.
Officers told the man he could either pay a $1652 fine for breaching coronavirus restrictions or $58 for a bus ticket back to Melbourne. He chose to return to the city.
The incident has raised fears among locals around what measures are in place to stop backpackers bringing the virus into rural Victoria ahead of the harvest season, with many farmers relying on working holiday makers and seasonal workers to get crops picked.
Federal Nationals MP Anne Webster, who was alerted to the breach by the hostel owner and passed concerns to police, said she feared it was not an isolated incident.
It is a police responsibility to enforce travel restrictions in-line with the chief health officer’s directions and as such V/Line staff do not check or question passengers for a valid reason before travel.
Dr Webster has written to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews calling for a strategy to help essential seasonal workers to safely travel to and stay in regional Victoria for employment.
She has proposed measures such as evidence of a negative test result within seven days prior to travel, evidence of employment and appropriate accommodation, travel permits and a quarantine period before or after arrival if necessary.
“We’ve got community concern that people are able to travel into regional areas and there is no monitoring, surveillance or restrictions placed on people,” Dr Webster said.
“We want to know when they’re coming up from a place like Melbourne where there’s a hotspot, or Ballarat or Bendigo, where they can all get on V/Line buses.
“We need an assurance that unnecessary travel will be stopped and that urgent travel will be monitored.”
Dr Webster said her electorate had very few cases and the last thing they needed was virus spread from Melbourne.
Most backpackers stay at hostels or caravan parks while doing farm work during the harvest season, but Victorian Farmers Federation vice president Emma Germano has proposed a hub concept similar to the AFL.
She said the hubs could help with safe accommodation, meals, transport, coronavirus testing and any quarantine periods, as well as supporting local accommodation businesses.
“It would be just like the AFL has done so we can keep our regions safe … and ensure we have a safe workplace,” Ms Germano said.
“We just think it’s really important to remove any barrier as to why people would not participate in a fruit harvest job or a packing job.”
An Ernst and Young Report commissioned by AusVeg and the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance found Victorian farms are facing a shortfall of about 15,000 workers, as well as a deficit of hundreds of shearers and ancillary employees.
Ms Germano said farmers had jobs available but needed people to fill them, which would help secure food supply and get regional economies moving.
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