NT mango growers warn working holiday visa changes could worsen seasonal worker shortages

By Jiali Hong- “Student journalists at the University of Melbourne”

Northern Territory mango growers have warned that planned changes to Australia’s Working Holiday Maker program could make it harder for farms to secure enough workers during the harvest season.

Under the federal government’s proposed changes, working holiday makers seeking to stay in Australia for a second or third year will have to enter a ballot. Places will be capped at 45,000 for second-year visas and 5,000 for third-year visas. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said 57,000 people qualified for a second-year visa this year, while 31,000 qualified for a third year. The new caps would therefore provide 38,000 fewer places across the two categories than the number of people who qualified this year. Working holiday makers will still need to complete specified regional work to qualify. The Northern Territory remains an eligible area for specified work under the program.

Growers concerned about harvest workforce

Northern Territory mango grower Saramat Ruchkaew said the mango industry needed about 2,500 workers each season. “This is a big, big issue for the farming community,” she said.

She warned that farms could struggle to recruit enough workers during the mango harvest, potentially leaving fruit unpicked. The NT mango industry is a major contributor to the Territory economy. NT Farmers says the industry employs about 3,500 workers during harvest and produces around 52 per cent of Australia’s mango crop. Rebecca Koivu, a backpacker from Finland, said the changes could affect farms that rely on working holiday makers.

“All the farms are going to suffer,” she said.

Leo Skliros, president of the Northern Territory Mango Industry Association, criticised the proposed ballot system. “Are we running a casino or a country?” he said, describing the changes as “lunacy”.

The concerns follow warnings from agricultural groups in other parts of Australia. The Queensland Farmers’ Federation has said the reduction in second- and third-year working holiday maker numbers could affect agriculture, tourism and hospitality in regional Queensland.

NT seeks exemption

Northern Territory Opposition Leader Selena Uibo has called for the Territory to receive an exemption from the changes, arguing that its seasonal workforce needs are different from those in other parts of Australia. The federal government says the regional work requirement will remain in place and that the ballot system will give it greater control over the number of working holiday makers who remain in Australia for a second or third year. The changes form part of broader migration reforms aimed at managing migration levels. The government has not yet announced when the new ballots for second- and third-year working holiday visas will open.

Source: ABC News; Australian Government Department of Home Affairs; NT Farmers.