THE HON. GREG HUNT MP
Federal Member for Flinders
Minister for Health and Aged Care
THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP
Federal Member for Maranoa
Minister for Agricultural and Northern Australia
MEDIA RELEASE
The Morrison Government has made history by delivering a vital agricultural visa to help rural and regional Australia.
The Agricultural Worker Visa will provide a long term, reliable workforce for Australia’s critical industries while solving one the great challenges facing regional and rural Australia in recent history.
Federal Member for Flinders, the Hon. Greg Hunt MP said he was incredibly proud to be a part of a government that has consistently fought for and delivered for agricultural communities.
“We’ve listened to our communities and our industries, and this is what they’ve asked for,” Minister Hunt said.
“The agricultural visa will be a vital stepping stone in the recovery of our agricultural sector and will be in place by the end of September 2021, with the full implementation of this demand driven visa complete within 3 years.”
“The visa will be open to applicants from a range of countries and will be available to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers and as expected, international workers will undergo necessary quarantine and COVID-19 testing before commencing work.”
“This will help support Mornington Peninsula farms, especially our vegetable growers to source the workforce they need.”
Deputy Leader of the Nationals and Minister for Agriculture, 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,” Minister 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.”
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