Silent snub over Vanuatu offer

Vanuatu is ready to work with the Victorian Government to reintroduce seasonal workers to the state, before even further crop losses occur.

Harvest crisis: The Vanuatu Government has proposed a low-cost solution to the labour crisis facing Victoria’s farmers, but is yet to receive a formal response.

THE seasonal labour shortage in Australia has now reached a critical point which many were fearful would occur should a safe solution for a fast-tracked return of the Seasonal Worker Program not be implemented in Victoria.

Hundreds of millions of dollars of produce are being turned into the ground or left hanging, and the Christmas closure of the Victorian border has further compounded these challenges.

Since last October, the Vanuatu Government has proactively proposed potential SWP restart solutions to the Victorian State Government and national cabinet, but has received only two “acknowledgment of correspondence” responses.

Potential solutions proposed by the Vanuatu Government include:

TAM-TAM BUBBLE: This option would see initially a travel corridor between approved Melanesian/Polynesian countries and Australia. The COVID-free status in most of these nations allows the bubble to be a replication of the current arrangement in place with New Zealand, specifically for seasonal workers. All framework is in place to replicate the NZ Bubble, and limiting this to seasonal workers would allow governments to tightly control the program and potential for disease transmission.

PRE-DEPARTURE QUARANTINE: The Vanuatu Government would provide an agreed initial period of quarantine in dedicated “pre-departure” facilities in Port Vila. All workers would submit to a COVID test 72 hours prior to departure. The costs of onboarding, quarantine, and transport to either Melbourne or Mildura would be about $1600 per worker versus the $8000 Darwin quarantine cost, plus flights into and out of Darwin, and then transport to the farm.

ON-FARM QUARANTINE: This option would allow incoming seasonal workers who have returned negative COVID results 72 hours prior to departure, to quarantine on the farms that are employing them.

All of these solutions could be implemented immediately pending state government approval. Some are already being trialled in other states and territories with Ni-Vanuatu workers.

The Vanuatu Government owns and operates its own national carrier, which can fly its Boeing 737-800 from Port Vila to Tullamarine or to regional airports, such as Mildura.

Victorian and national industry Associations have helped to get these proposals in front of the Victorian Government, but to date, no substantial or formal response has been received regarding the viability of, nor interest in these proposals.

There’s still time to ensure that the season does not result in a disaster for farmers and producers and explosive growth in shelf prices to consumers.

● S haun Gilchrist is the former resident of the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Vanuatu Government representative for the SWP in Victoria.

MORE

CROP LOSSES MOUNT AS GROWERS STRUGGLE TO GET WORKERS

CORONAVIRUS FLIGHT RULES: SEASONAL WORKERS MAY BE EXEMPT FROM PRE-FLIGHT TEST

THE WEEKLY TIMES 2021 AG FIELD DAYS CALENDAR