Farm labour: $8500 incentive still not enough to lure people in

Prospective harvest workers can claim thousands of dollars in rebates and cash bonuses for completing just six weeks’ of farm work. But few seem interested.

Alicia Fuchs, Brisbane, has been picking pears at Gary Goodwill's orchard at Kialla East. Picture: Dannika Bonser

AUSTRALIANS could find an extra $8500 in their pockets, if they’re willing to pick and pack fruit in Victoria.

But farmers say the state and federal government incentives on offer are so far proving a waste of time, with even cash yet to entice locals onto farms.

Australian Table Grape Association chief executive Jeff Scott said he was unaware of anyone who had secured workers through any of the incentive schemes, and believed JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments – which expire on March 28 – were largely to blame.

“There is a labour shortage, so you need incentives to attract workers to farms, but while JobKeeper is around these people won’t be looking for work as much as if they were earning no income at all,” he said.

Lake Boga stone fruit grower Michael Tripodi agreed. “It’s too easy for people not to work,” he said, adding a lack of accommodation was a significant part of the problem. “You can’t rent a home in Swan Hill for love nor money. We need to build decent accommodation on the property, but how do we afford it?”

One of Australia’s biggest stone fruit growers, who did not want to be named, said he’d had just three workers come from Melbourne lured by the Federal Government’s relocation assistance scheme since it began. His business requires 300 workers a day.

It comes as the Federal Government is expected to announce its national agricultural workforce strategy this week, four months after the report was first received.

The Victorian bonus is the most generous of the state government incentives available nationally: workers undertaking short-term harvest work in the state can earn a $2500 cash bonus for completing six weeks’ work.

The bonus can only be claimed by those who started work from February 17, when the scheme was announced – meaning anyone who has done harvest work in the preceding three months misses out.

Victorian Farmers Federation horticulture president Nathan Free said eligibility for the payment could lead to disharmony on the farm.

“The incentive is great … but you’ve got people who are skilled in a role, already working on the farm who took the opportunity early but are disadvantaged by the timing,” he said.

Mr Free said he would have preferred a broader approach to attracting farm workers such as funding for training or education programs about farm work rather than a cash bonus.

The Victorian cash can be claimed at the same time as the federal government’s incentives that reimburse Aussies up to $6000 in transport and accommodation costs, allowing workers to claim up to $8500 in extra payments and rebates – potentially more than they’d earn picking fruit for six weeks.

Figures are not yet available of how many applications the bonus has attracted since it was announced last month, however an Agriculture Victoria spokeswoman said feedback from industry groups, growers and jobseeker networks indicated it was generating interest in harvest work.

Victoria’s last incentive program, the $50 million Agricultural Workforce Program, which included COVID business adaptation grants, closed at the end of 2020 with almost $20 million still in the kitty.

That workforce program attracted just 15 applications for grants to help cover transport and accommodation for staff, and 34 to pay for harvest worker training and inductions.

Queensland’s incentive scheme has had similarly lacklustre results. It’s offer of $1500 to help Queensland residents cover accommodation and transport costs for undertaking farm work has garnered just 77 applications, with $19,000 paid out so far. Another 136 applications are in train.

Western Australia appears to have had the most success with its scheme, which offers accommodation rebates of $40 per night for up to 12 weeks. It’s paid out $1.094 million in applications from 802 applications.

NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have not provided direct incentives to local workers.

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