The Morrison Government has delivered a vital new agriculture visa to help secure the future of rural and regional Australia.
The new Agricultural Worker Visa will provide a long term, reliable workforce for our critical industries while solving one of the great challenges facing regional Australia in recent history.
Federal Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said he was incredibly proud to be a part of the government that has consistently fought for and delivered for regional communities.
“The agriculture visa will be in place no later than 30 September of this year, with the full implementation of this demand driven visa complete within 3 years,” Mr Entsch said.
“The visa will be open to applicants from a range of countries and will be available to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers.
“It will include meat processing, fisheries and forestry sectors and provide a basis for the ongoing growth of our primary industries.
“This will greatly assist the agriculture industry in Far North Queensland as they manage and plan out their future workforce needs.
“We’ve listened to our communities and our industries, and this is what they’ve asked for.
Deputy Nationals Leader and Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the agriculture workforce shortage has been a major issue during COVID.
“While our farmers and industries have gone about their work keeping Australians and the world fed and clothed, they have done so under workforce constraints,” Mr Littleproud said.
“With the changes to the Working Holiday Maker program following the UKFTA, the government knew this was the time to put the agriculture visa in place.
“This is a structural change to the agricultural workforce. It gives our farmers a confidence to know they can go and plant a crop and know that they’ll be able to get it off.
“It will complement the Pacific programs we have got in place, and we will also be considering permanent residency options under the new Ag visa.”