A migration model targeting skills shortages in the mix to fix agriculture’s labour crisis

A historic overhaul of Australia’s migration system would consider directly targeting workers with ag-related skills as part of the solution for the sector’s labour crisis.

The Albanese government is considering a sector-specific visa pathway to bring in foreign workers to fill skilled worker shortages across the agriculture industry, as part of a radical restructure of the nation’s “broken” migration system.

The news comes as farmers continue to struggle to fill positions. The National Farmers’ Federation last August estimated an extra 172,000 workers were needed across the food supply chain.

The insight into the potential direction of the government’s reforms – announced following the release of a scathing landmark review earlier this year – was provided by Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil at a meeting of the tripartite Agricultural Workforce Working Group of farmers, unions and government this week.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman

If it were to eventuate, the new migration model would target areas of dire need both on-farm – from management and mechanical roles, to header drivers, roustabouts, and shearers – and within a meat processing sector crying out for slicers and boners.

The government has already said it will scrap labour market testing requirements in favour of new skills assessments, including flagging a three-tiered system for skilled workers.

It is understood the majority of agricultural positions would be categorised in the “lower-wage” cohort.

The meeting heard that mechanisms included in Labor’s ‘Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement’ could be an appropriate starting point for an agriculture-specific skilled migration program.

These include the ability to sponsor overseas workers for Temporary Skill Shortage subclass 482 visa positions.

However, while the aged care agreement provides a fast-track to permanent residency, stakeholders believed an agriculture version would “almost certainly be temporary only” and not the pathway it wants to create an increased, permanent workforce.

Acombine harvester crops in a field. Picture: Silvio Avila/AFP

The aged care agreement is also seen as a compatible template for agriculture given its targeting of regional areas where the need for workers and permanent migration is immediate.

However, the aged care agreement was developed under the existing migration settings currently being reviewed by the government, meaning any new agriculture model could be similar but would need to be created from within a different framework.

A working group communique said members “welcomed” the opportunity to provide input directly into the development of the government’s migration strategy, “including on migration system features of importance to the agriculture and processing sectors and their workers”.

Industry stakeholders said while “noises out of the government” indicated a new ag migration system was “far from set in concrete”, it gave the farming sector confidence its opinions were being considered.

However, concerns were raised with Ms O’Neil by members of the working group over proposed changes to the working holiday-maker visa that would cancel the need for backpackers to perform farm work to extend their visas.

Picture: David Geraghty

Attendees stressed it would be devastating to make changes without a replacement system in place.

A spokesman for Ms O’Neil said while the government “recognises that the current migration system is not delivering for workers or employers”, its new migration strategy will be published later this year and “we will have more to say about these issues at that time”.

Any new skills plan would operate separately to the Albanese government’s promised push to solve agriculture’s unskilled labour crisis through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme.