Working holiday visa changes urged

The federal government is calling for public feedback on the Working Holiday Maker visa, with one industry leader saying the current policy has led to “untold exploitation and abuse”.

The Australian Workers Union says ag employers who prefer to use the Working Holiday Maker visa program instead of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme “should be viewed with suspicion”.

The Department of Home Affairs released its Review of Regional Migration Settings discussion paper on Friday, seeking public feedback on current regional migration policies, including how the Working Holiday Maker visa could be reformed to minimise worker exploitation while ensuring regional Australia still gets access to the workers it needs.

AWU National Secretary Paul Farrow.

AWU national secretary Paul Farrow said the current WHM visa program had led to “untold exploitation and abuse”, and that the PALM scheme was a better way to address industry needs.

“The inclusion of ‘plant and animal cultivation’ in the WHM visa program is outdated and needs to go ... small wonder the UK wanted out,” he said.

“Thanks to the work of union members the PALM scheme, while still not perfect, is now a much, much better regulated way of addressing labour shortages in horticulture.”

An essential component to Australian agriculture, the WHM visa currently allows 18-30 year olds from partner countries to extend their initial 12-month visa by an extra year if they complete at least 88 days of specified work in a regional area, and for a third year by working regionally for six months.

In 2022-23, WHM visa holders performed more than 4.1 million days of specified work, equivalent to approximately 16,000 full-time workers.

For years the National Farmers’ Federation has been pushing for a “purpose-built agriculture visa”, with fears any changes to the minimum work requirement will negatively impact the ag sector.

“Backpackers play a critical role in our farm workforce. The fact is without them, we’d simply see farmers walk away from farming,” said NFF Acting CEO Charlie Thomas.

“We’re open to practical solutions that address the issue directly, rather than simply shutting off access to workers.

The DHA is calling on public submissions into how the WHM program can be reformed to reduce worker exploitation, and how to incentivise WHMs to choose regional Australia as a destination, with submissions due by July 26.