Pacific Island seasonal workers’ visa headache

The horticulture and labour hire industries are alarmed by a move to force thousands of Pacific Island seasonal workers who are shoring up workforces during the coronavirus crisis on to bridging visas.

THOUSANDS of Pacific Island seasonal workers will be forced on to bridging visas as they become unlawful citizens when their current visas expire.

The move has alarmed the horticulture and labour hire industries, who say more conditions will be needed to protect vulnerable overseas workers while shoring up their workforces during the coronavirus crisis.

About 8000 seasonal workers are still in Australia, with many to see those visas expire in coming months while the coronavirus travel ban is in place.

Industry has been urging the Government to extend their visas, to allow them to keep legally working and ensure agriculture continues to have a workforce while no new overseas workers are coming in.

However, approved seasonal worker employers have been informed workers whose visas expire will become unlawful citizens and have to apply for bridging visa E, granted to those who are making arrangements to leave Australia.

The Department of Education, Skills and Employment – which runs the SWP – referred The Weekly Times questions to the Department of Home Affairs.

A Department spokesman said the Department was focused on working with industry “to provide more flexibility in relation to visas and conditions”.

While all temporary visa holder arrangements are still to be finalised, non-citizens wanting to stay in Australia are being advised to apply for another visa and will be assessed with the current situation in mind.

According to the Department of Home Affairs website, the bridging visa does not allow holders to work, or work is restricted to 40 hours a fortnight, and they must report to a visa office once a week.

In contrast, the seasonal worker program comes with conditions that workers must stay with the same employer or have accommodation organised.

Michael Fryser, from labour hire company Connect Group, said a bridging visa could work if conditions could be put on it to meet everyone’s needs, and that the system could not be flaunted.

“Whether it be this week, next week, next month, there will be a lot in the situation which will have visas expire with potentially no way to return home, and are quite keen to keep working,” Mr Fryser said.

AUSVEG public affairs manager Tyson Cattle said the outcome was not ideal, and industry was seeking clarity over what rights employers and workers had.

Industry is also calling for extensions for backpackers whose visas may be expiring, and are keen to keep working in agriculture; about 30 per cent of the 140,000 backpackers in Australia currently are working in the sector.

Meanwhile, out of work Aussies have flooded farmers with requests for work, as the economic fallout from the coronavirus shutdown continues.

Victorian Farmers’ Federation vice-president Emma Germano said while the interest was welcome, workers already here should not be displaced.

“Any workers already working in ag not only deserve to have, but should have certainty around their visa, when they’re doing jobs that up until this moment Australians didn’t want to do,” she said.

“I don’t think we can use and abuse that (international) workforce, especially when it’s a global pandemic.”

Ms Germano said jobs should go to regional Australians first already living near employing farms, in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.