General News
29 September, 2026
Concerns grow over visa changes
CONCERN is growing that the Federal Government’s decision to implement new limits on working holiday visas will negatively impact growers’ ability to harvest their crops.
AUSVEG, the peak industry body representing Australia’s vegetable, potato and onion growers is concerned about the government’s decision to implement new limits on visas by introducing quotas for 2nd and 3rd year visa extensions.
The ballot for those applying to stay a second year will be limited to just 45,000 places, compared with 57,000 who qualified last year, while the third-year allocation will be slashed to just 5000, compared with 31,000 last year.
Minister Tony Burke also committed to a three-month processing time for working holiday visas. The minister says these measures will help the government cut overseas migration by 75,000 per year, but AUSVEG says the negative impact of the changes on food producers will be felt not only in regional Australia but across the broader community.
FNQ Growers recently released a study which showed local producers relied heavily upon international labour programs, with more than 2,500 PALM workers and an estimated 5,600 working holiday makers contributing to the agricultural workforce across the region.
Reacting to the migration changes, FNQ Growers president Joe Moro said the new rules could mean there would be less backpacker and holiday visa labourers available for farmers at critical harvest times.
He said the ballot system would prove to be a disincentive for people to extend their visas for an extra year, which meant that they may not even venture into the regions looking for work.
“They might just stay in the capital cities and enjoy what they want to enjoy in shorter stays in Australia,” Mr Moro said.
He said further reliance on PALM workers would not suit smaller farming enterprises including mango farmers who required labour commitments for three to six months.
“I am also bitterly disappointed with the statements from the Minister about paying PALM visa farm workers less,” he said.
“Farm workers, whether they be locals, school leavers, uni students or visa holders currently get paid the same level of payment per hour.
“There definitely needs to be greater flexibility in the farm workers system. For instance, our farm uses a mix of local workers as mentioned earlier and a mix of backpacker working holiday visa holders which suits smaller operators more than having to provide job security for longer periods for PALM workers.
“The fact is that working visa holders make up around one third of the nation’s casual workforce, and with the new restrictions, either fruit will be left on trees or available farm workers and farmers will be facing greatly increased working hours, and this could become an increasing farm workplace safety issue, when harvesting and packing,” Mr Moro added.
AUSVEG chief executive Michael Coote implored all sides of politics to find workable solutions for industry so that vegetable growers did not become collateral damage in the populist rush to cut migration to the country.
“It must also be recognised that Australian vegetable growers have been dealing with chronic workforce shortages over many years, and that our $6 billion vegetable industry is still battling the severe impacts of the Middle East conflict and years of challenging operating conditions,” he said.
“It is now also facing a potentially ever shrinking workforce crisis, and the impact will be felt by families, regional communities and on national food security.
“The wide array of crops, production systems and major variations in the size and scale of commercial vegetable producers across the country, means the vegetable industry needs flexible and diverse workforce options.”
Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald, has lashed Labor’s new working holiday visa arrangements, warning regional employers will struggle to keep businesses running and get crops to market.
“I have spoken to dozens of regional employers who employ backpackers as station cooks, in pubs, truck stops, motels and picking crops, often over successive years,” she said.
“They are furious about the new arrangements and worried about the future viability of their operations.
“The Albanese Government has completely bungled immigration from day one. They created this mess and true to form, their solution makes no sense and will create more problems.”
Senator McDonald said the effects of cutting immigration numbers from a sector that contributed so much to the economy would be widespread.
“There’s a real risk that crops will be left to rot and remote businesses just won’t be able to operate,” she said.
