Victorian farmers may have to pay $8000 for seasonal workers under quarantine plan

Victorian farmers could be stung four times more than farmers in other states to bring in seasonal workers, with the Andrews Government claiming it has no capacity to quarantine them. Here’s the costly alternative.

Victorian farmers could have to pay up to $8000 to quarantine seasonal workers in Darwin.

VICTORIAN farmers could face paying up to $8000 to bring just one Pacific Island worker into the state, under a plan quietly being considered by the Andrews Government.

With the State Government claiming it has no capacity to quarantine seasonal workers in Victoria, farmers may have to get staff to arrive via the Northern Territory, where they will be forced to quarantine for two weeks.

The associated costs could be quadruple what farmers in other states are paying to bring in workers under the Federal Government’s reopened seasonal worker program.

Horticulture producers have been calling for Victoria to reopen its borders to Pacific Islanders, warning the sector will be facing a chronic shortage of casual staff within the next month.

Agriculture Victoria had previously said the state would rejoin the program — crucial to providing farmers with labour during peak harvest — by December 1.

However, The Weekly Times understands the Government this week told industry there would not be any capacity to quarantine incoming seasonal workers in Victoria, due to caps on international arrivals.

The Government is also understood to be reluctant to re-establish quarantine facilities until the findings of the hotel quarantine inquiry are handed down next month.

Instead, a trial next month could see up to 600 workers from Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu quarantine at Darwin’s Howard Springs facility.

Under the seasonal worker program, employers usually foot the bill for bringing staff into Australia. The trial arrangement could see Victorian farmers stung for not only the usual costs, but also quarantine costs and charter flights from Darwin.

That could see the total costs skyrocket to $8000 per worker.

It is understood industry and the Government have yet to determine who will have to pay the extra costs. Farmers in other states have been paying about $2000 per worker.

A scheme that will allow workers to quarantine in Victoria — either at hotels or on-farm — is potentially not likely to be opened until February.

A Victorian Government spokesman said the Government was considering “several options” to support the arrival of workers under the seasonal worker and Pacific labour schemes.

“We are working closely with industry representatives, the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions to determine an appropriate pathway,” he said.

Nationals leader Peter Walsh said failing to secure workers would see fruit left to rot on trees and consumers hit with price rises.

“While other states have got programs in place, Victorian Labor is throwing up roadblocks and blaming industry for being too ‘reliant’ on working holiday makers,” he said.

“If Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes can’t solve this issue, she should get out of the way and hand responsibility to someone who can.”

Mr Walsh has previously said he was working on a proposal with industry to quarantine up to 150 workers at Mildura by flying arrivals directly to the city’s airport, circumventing the federal cap on international arrivals

Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau wrote to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Health Minister Martin Foley and Ms Symes last week with an offer to provide up to 2000 skilled workers to work on Victorian farms who could be in Australia within two weeks.

Former Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce president and now Victorian resident, Shaun Gilchrist, who has been appointed as the go-to between the Vanuatu and Victorian governments, said he was still awaiting a response from Victoria on the offer.

He said there has been discussions within the state’s agriculture industry about possible quarantine options, including using Canberra-based Aspen Medical to co-ordinate quarantine in Mildura, but it had not progressed beyond talk.

“The only thing stopping them (from coming to Victoria) is the OK from the Victorian Government for quarantine proceedings … We’re trying to pull parties together to make this happen. It’s been very fragmented and has been for quite some time now,” Mr Gilchrist said.

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