More jobs added to working holiday maker visa essential work

Australia’s leading farming body has slammed changes to the working holiday maker visa criteria for staying in the country.

Tourism and hospitality jobs in some parts of the country will now be counted as essential work to obtain a second and third year backpacker visa. Picture: iStock

The National Farmers’ Federation have expressed anger over last week’s decision to include tourism and hopsitality jobs alongside farm work as essential on the backpacker visa criteria.

“It’s inconceivable that the Minister would make this decision seemingly with the flick of a pen, with not so much as phone call to farm groups, let alone meaningful consultation with farmers, at a time when agriculture is dealing with an unprecedented worker shortage,” NFF chief executive Tony Mahar said.

“This latest decision is frustrating for farmers as it looks as if the Government is trying to give with one hand and take with the other.”

It was announced last week that tourism and hospitality jobs in more eligible areas of Australia will be classified as essential as part of new working holiday maker visa rules.

The roles, available in sectors in northern, remote and very remote areas of the country, will be counted towards the 88 days of specified work to receive a second and third-year visa.

“Postcodes corresponding to the ‘Northern, remote and very remote’ areas of Australia will be published on the Department of Home Affairs website shortly,” Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said.

“In addition to the whole of the Northern Territory, eligible areas will include some postcodes in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.”

Mr Hawke said the changes would come into effect for application purposes from March next year, but applicants were able to begin the specified work in tourism and hospitality jobs immediately.

The Weekly Times reported in April that the proposed changes to the visas had farmers concerned their workforce would be reduced, with both industries competing for workers.

But the tourism industry has welcomed the changes, recognising it as a “positive step” to the solution on workforce shortages.

“The seasonal workforce demands and worker shortfalls from our northern and remote Australian tourism and hospitality businesses has remained all too real,” Australian Tourism Industry Council executive director Simon Westaway said.

“We continue to urge further reform of our global leading Working Holiday Maker Program, and even better partner with key industries, like tourism and hospitality, to help future meet the genuine, seasonal workforce pressures many businesses, particularly across regional and remote Australia, face.”

The Department of Home Affairs also announced last month all visa holders working in tourism and hospitality and other critical Covid-19 sectors were exempt from the six-month work limitation with one employer.

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