Victorian-NSW border closure: Citrus growers could lose millions as union slams ‘discriminatory’ ban

Citrus growers face losing almost $2 million in produce due to worker shortages, as up to 1200 seasonal workers are left without legitimate work after being banned from crossing the Victorian-NSW border.

Out of juice: Citrus growers and seasonal workers will lose out on millions of dollars and legitimate work with the strict regulations imposed on crossing the Victorian-NSW border. Picture: Andy Rogers

ALMOST $2 million worth of fruit is going unpicked as up to 1200 seasonal workers have been banned from crossing the Victorian-NSW border.

The citrus industry is warning the NSW Government’s blanket ban preventing temporary visa-holders from entering the state will cost farmers dearly, with estimates that 280,000kg of fruit is being left on branches each day.

And the United Workers Union has slammed the “discriminatory” ban, saying it is cutting off already vulnerable migrant workers from legitimate work.

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud told The Weekly Times he will be convening an urgent teleconference with state agriculture ministers to rectify issues raised by the ban.

“There were principles that the ministerial council had previously agreed to for the movement of agricultural workers that I hope will be respected as it’s essential agricultural supply chains function effectively,” Mr Littleproud said.

The seasonal worker ban came into force on Wednesday, as part of strict new rules around the Victorian-NSW border closure aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus. Border-crossing permits are limited to border zone residents and essential services only.

Agriculture workers – including farmers, shearers, vets and Australian seasonal workers – are included as essential workers, but overseas seasonal workers are expressly forbidden.

The ban applies to Pacific Islanders here on the seasonal worker program, and backpackers on working holiday visas – both categories who make up the vast majority of harvest workers in Australia. 

NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said health authorities had determined temporary visa-holders were “superspreaders” of coronavirus.

“I don’t anticipate at this stage the change with visa-holders causing significant problems for agricultural industries on either side of the border,” he said.

But citrus growers, who are in the middle of their harvest, disagree.

Citrus Australia chief executive Nathan Hancock estimated between 800 to 1200 workers and as many as a hundred farms had been affected already.

He said about 280,000kg of fruit was going unpicked each day, with a value of $1.7 million.

“This will have disastrous flow-on effects, in terms of the health of the tree and future production, as well as reducing the amount of citrus for Australian consumers and our export markets,” Mr Hancock said.

CITRUS INDUSTRY IN LIMBO

Coomealla citrus grower Brett Hullah said his workforce of up to 16 pickers had been reduced to just four since Wednesday.

The rest of his workers are stuck in Mildura, just minutes away on the Victorian side of the river because they are temporary visa-holders.

Normally, they’d pick 60 bins of navel oranges a day – that’s down to anywhere between six and 16 now.

“The current variety we’ve got about two weeks left to get that off, and I’d say we’ve got another 200 bins to pick,” he said.

“It (the ban) is really hindering us getting our fruit off which is really going to hinder our income in ways I don’t want to think about.”

Mr Hullah said his workers – employed through a labour contractor – have been at his farm since May.

“These workers have been working here a long time … the government have made this blanket rule and gone so far as to discriminate against visa-holders,” he said.

“We don’t know how long this is going to go on for so the industry is in limbo.”

Mr Hancock said there was no accommodation left for seasonal workers on the NSW side of the Sunraysia, which was why many lived in Mildura – and many of those, who have been in the region for months already, had now been left with no ability to work.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian yesterday rejected there was a worker shortage, with plenty of Australian available to work: “We’re asking everybody to consider that in terms of their employment needs, especially young people. There are lots of people that need jobs.”

UNION: BAN ‘DISCRIMINATORY, UNFAIR’

Backpackers and seasonal workers are heavily relied upon throughout the horticulture industry, with many workers following the harvest trail from Victoria through NSW and up to Queensland.

The Federal Government had previously extended the visas for backpackers and seasonal workers, in a bid to make sure there would be no shortage of workers in the coming months, given COVID-19 travel restrictions meant no new workers were coming into the country.

Visa-holders are not entitled to government support such as Jobseeker. Those on the seasonal worker program can also only work for approved employers, meaning they cannot readily find new jobs.

United Workers Union executive director for farms Jannette Armstrong said workers had been cut off from their only source of income.

“How will they pay their rent? How will they pay to keep up with their government-mandated private health insurance? How will they feed themselves?” she said.

“Many migrant seasonal workers were invited to Australia, to help cover our shortfalls in labour demand and to help grow, pick, and pack the fresh fruit and veg Australians have relied on throughout this pandemic.”

Ms Armstrong said migrant workers might be more vulnerable to COVID-19 given the conditions many are subject to, but it was “dangerous and discriminatory to single them out as super-spreaders”.