Farmers’ plea to plug worker gaps with foreign labour

The Albanese government is facing calls to abolish labour market testing and reduce income thresholds for migrants to help alleviate worker shortages in the agricultural sector.

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson.

The Albanese government is facing calls to abolish labour market testing and reduce income thresholds for migrants to help alleviate worker shortages in the agricultural sector.

The National Farmers Federation said the lack of Australian workers was due to a “chronic disinterest” and warned that domestic training programs or incentives would not persuade ­locals to work on farms.

Ahead of the jobs summit next week, the NFF has also called for reforms including a return to the “no-disadvantage test” and ­greater scope for the operation of individual flexibility arrangements. NFF president Fiona Simson said the summit must not be a “talkfest”, and argued the government must hold itself to ­account with measurable targets.

“There is no silver bullet to this crisis. We need to pull every lever available,” Ms Simson said. “After all, this isn’t just a farmer issue. It’s hurting our economy and ultimately every Australian.”

Amid critical workforce ­shortages plaguing the sector, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has said Labor would prioritise getting more Australians into farm jobs over expanded ­migration programs.

But in a new paper ­detailing the industry’s challenges, the NFF said Australians were unlikely to take up farm jobs, and urged the government to “reduce blunt, process-driven” bureaucracy” inhibiting foreign workers.

“Most farm jobs are not vacant because of a lack of foresight in planning and skills development, but because of chronic disinterest or because the work is not located near population centres,” the paper said.

The NFF also called for the government to eliminate labour market testing – the obligation for businesses to advertise jobs ­locally – and abolish the temporary skilled migration income threshold of $53,900 in favour of an ­annual market salary rate.

The paper said farmers were often “bogged down in red tape” and the complexity of the industrial relations system encouraged businesses to outsource work to labour-hire firms. It said the majority of noncompliance was a result of mistake or ignorance.

The peak body will also recommend the government return to a “no-disadvantage” test and to ­enable flexibility arrangements.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has confirmed the “better off overall test” will be on the table at the jobs summit, but that it would take “some convincing” to overhaul it. Introduced by the Rudd government and supported by the union movement, the test requires any new enterprise agreement to leave workers better off, compared with basic award conditions.

Ms Simson, who will attend the summit for the NFF, said it was incumbent on the government to address the root issue of workforce shortages “stunting” the farm sector. “Recent weather has thrown curve balls at food production,” she said. “Couple that with issues like the workforce crisis and the result has been gaps on supermarket shelves, families struggling with the price of food, and weakening food security.”