Citrus Australia warning over working holiday visa caps

Citrus Australia has said that today’s (17 September) National Press Club address by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has ”failed to provide the clarity growers urgently need” on changes to the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa programme, ahead of harvest season.

“Today’s announcement signals the industry will immediately have fewer workers in the horticulture and agriculture sectors and provides no answers as to how the acute shortage of workers will be addressed,” said Citrus Australia CEO Nathan Hancock.

“Unfortunately, we came away from today’s address with more questions than answers,” he noted.

”Some of the changes to the Working Holiday Maker visa programme remain unclear, and growers can’t run a harvest on uncertainty.”

Citrus Australia said it strongly backs the National Farmers’ Federation’s letter to the prime minister and home affairs minister, calling for an urgent briefing for all industries affected by the announcement.

“We need government in a room with the industries this actually affects, as a matter of urgency,” Hancock urged.

The minister confirmed caps will be placed on Working Holiday Maker visas granted for a second and third year, limiting second-year visas to 45,000 (down from 57,000 this year) and third-year visas to 5,000 (down from 31,000).

Hancock said caps and ballots for existing visa holders were likely to be counterproductive.

“These caps create uncertainty and a disincentive for people who are already in the programme and who our growers are relying on and have trained and upskilled,” he continued.

“Backpackers who came to Australia expecting to extend their stay through further seasonal work will now be reconsidering their plans, right when we need them in the orchards and farms across the country.

“It also goes against the government’s own goal of lifting productivity in the economy,” he pointed out.

While Citrus Australia welcomed the minister’s confirmation that processing of Working Holiday Maker visas will return to normal speed, Hancock said this alone would not resolve the acute labour shortage growers are facing right now.

“There is a significant backlog of visa applications built up during the slowdown,” he noted.

”Simply resuming normal processing times doesn’t make up for the shortfall of workers we need on farm today.

“We urgently need clarity on expected processing times for both offshore and onshore applications,” Hancock confirmed.

”A three-month turnaround is not workable. Before the slowdown, applicants could expect visas processed within 24 to 72 hours – that’s the benchmark we need to get back to.”

Citrus Australia reiterated its position that Working Holiday Makers and Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) workers should be excluded from the discussion of Australia’s net overseas migration target.

“Temporary workers and backpackers don’t bring family members and dependents, they don’t buy homes, and they don’t compete for housing the way permanent migration does,” Hancock clarified.

”They shouldn’t be caught up in a target that’s meant to address housing supply.

“Our industry picks close to a million tonnes of fruit each year, nearly all of it by hand,” he said.

”We need every single worker we can get, and that means governments need to stop treating seasonal and temporary agricultural labour as part of the housing conversation.”

Citrus Australia said it would continue to work with the National Farmers’ Federation and the broader horticulture sector to press government for the clarity and engagement industry needs, and reiterated its long-standing call for a dedicated Agriculture or Harvest Visa as a genuine, purpose-built alternative for the sector.

“What this issue needs is meaningful engagement with industry, not more uncertainty,” Hancock added.

“Every week without clarity is a week closer to harvest with no answers.”