Vietnam signs up to farm visa deal

The Australian government has signed a formal deal with Vietnam to plug critical workforce shortages across the agricultural sector.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud welcomed the formal agreement with Vietnam. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The Australian government has signed a formal deal with Vietnam to plug critical workforce shortages across the agricultural sector, marking the first bilateral agreement under its new agricultural visa program.

But the deal could be imperilled before the ink has dried, after Tasmanian Greens senator Nick McKim lodged a motion of disallowance against the scheme in the Senate that would require Labor’s support to succeed.

It comes as opposition agriculture spokeswoman Julie Collins slammed the government’s scheme for failing to deliver workers on farms, labelling the announcement “bluster”.

“The Morrison-Joyce government should come clean on the details of the MoU and when workers are expected on farms,” she said.

The Australian revealed on Monday the government was in final negotiations with Vietnam following discussions between Foreign Minister Marise Payne and her Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son.

Senator Payne said the memorandum of understanding signified the Morrison government’s commitment to “deepening co-operation” under the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Partnership and was a key initiative of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy launched on November 1.

“Australia and Vietnam share a strong and optimistic agenda in our relationship. We are bound by warm ties of friendship and family that extend across every level of community, government and business,” Senator Payne said. “This step reflects what is possible when we work together.”

But Senator McKim told The Australian he had “a range of concerns”. He confirmed he would not move a vote on his disallowance motion until after the federal election.

“We will make a decision after the election on whether or not we bring the disallowance motion on,” he said.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud welcomed the formal agreement with Vietnam, but took a swipe at Senator Payne over stalling the visa.

Minister Littleproud said some of his Coalition colleagues had “struggled” to understand the importance of the agriculture visa, but it would bring about the biggest structural change to the agricultural workforce.

“The ag visa has been an article of faith for the Nationals and despite efforts by the AWU and the Labor Party to sabotage the establishment of the visa, the Nationals never gave up,” Mr Littleproud said.

Nationals MP Anne Webster, whose electorate of Mallee encompasses the horticultural region of Sunraysia, said she hoped the deal would lead to more bilateral agreements being signed.

“I have personally fought very hard for the horticultural industry in my region of Sunraysia which has been desperately short of workers for the past two years,” Dr Webster said.