Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management. In light of the impacts of COVID-19, will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison-McCormack government's budget measures will support the Australian agricultural sector and help secure a seasonal workforce for this summer?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mallee for her question. She more than anyone understands agriculture's heavy reliance traditionally and presently on overseas workers to undertake the seasonal picking of our harvests. Traditionally that's come through the working holiday-maker program. Since COVID-19, we've gone from around 142,000 working holiday-makers to just over 63,000. That's always been complemented by the Pacific and seasonal worker programs. There's about 6,000 to 8,000 of those running around the country supporting Australian agriculture.

That's why when COVID was first detected in Australia we took pre-emptive steps to make sure that that cohort was encouraged to stay in Australia and, particularly, to stay in agriculture. We said to them if they worked in agriculture they could extend their visas for another 12 months. Subsequently, in August, we were able to reopen the seasonal and Pacific worker programs, and the 10 participating countries have all signed up—in fact, we've already had pilots for mango pickers in Darwin. States are responsible for working with their specific industries and working through the quarantine measure to make sure that a COVID-safe environment is provided not only to the workers but to the Australian public. We continue to work with them. Then, in September, we took to national cabinet an ag workers code. All states, bar Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia, signed up to that. It's a very important measure, because it keeps the free movement of workforce, in a COVID-safe way, across the state borders, keeping the supply chains moving—understanding that our agricultural production systems are integrated right across this country. It's important that we understood that, and we encourage all those states that haven't signed up to do so. This will be pivotal as we get further into the season.

What we've also done as part of this is to acknowledge that every one of those jobs is to be given to an Australian first if they wish to take it. Every job must be market tested. An Australian gets first crack at these. What we've said is that we want to encourage Australians to take up these roles, understanding that some of those who are on JobSeeker today will be thousands of kilometres away from where these jobs are. So the government, in the budget, announced that up to $6,000 can be claimed back in travel expenses—fuel, accommodation—to travel the country to try to help farmers. We look to young Australians in particular, who may not have family commitments, to be able to take up an incentive and an acceleration towards youth allowance. If they earn over $15,000, they'll accelerate their ability to take up youth allowance, particularly if they go back to uni next year. This will put money in their pocket to go back to uni but also give them the ability to have youth allowance to start their education with money in their pocket and ease the burden on them financially.

Australian farmers are not looking for charity; they're actually just looking for Australians to get out there, have a go and give them a hand in one of the best seasons we've seen in many years.