The Australian Federal Government is introducing a new agriculture visa to address the labour shortages currently being faced by the sector.
The new agricultural visa exhibits itself as a pandora’s box of promises. With the looming forecasted sector growth of $100 billion by 2030, the Government claims that the new agricultural visa will be a critical factor in the long-term contribution to Australia’s labour supply. Given the widespread exploitation and harsh treatment of migrant workers in Australia, the government is attempting to ensure workers are more protected through underlying promises of potential pathways to permanent residency, including regional resettlement.
Nathaniel had arrived in Sunraysia, situated in the north-western Mallee region, from the Philippines seeking means to support his parents along with his four younger siblings. He expected to earn an hourly wage sufficient to sustain his necessities and to send the rest of it back home as savings. He had taken a loan out by offering up his home back in the Philippines as collateral to make his travel possible to Australia. The stakes were high, but Nathaniel was determined to make the most out of it.
On reaching the farm in the outskirts of Mallee, Nathaniel’s passport was taken away from him by the labour-hire agency to prevent ‘abscondment’ from Nathaniel’s new employer. He signed a document in English despite having a very limited understanding of it.
He was forced to start working on arrival and skipped breaks as his employer’s refused to provide him with any as he was “new and late to start working”. The first night rolled in, Nathaniel was forced to sleep in the small and grimy quarters behind the farm along with others who had arrived in the country with the “Australian Dream”. He wept silently to sleep that night hoping for a better tomorrow.
However, that day never came. Four months into his role as a fruit picker, Nathaniel was let go due to his so-called ‘poor work ethic’ because he could not keep up with the other farmworkers who were working for about 80 hours a week. He was constantly tired and had lost weight during the process. As he sat behind the ute looking at the vast acres of grain fields, he clenched the last couple of $100 notes he had saved and a heart full of regret.
According to migrant worker advocates, this new visa scheme could intensify employee exploitation on Australian farms, such as underpayment, overpriced accommodation fees, and fraudulent labour agencies. After the compounding worker exploitation under Pacific Islanders Labour Scheme, this new shift in focus of inviting migrants from the Southeast Asian countries will be a matter to be investigated very closely.
The Australian Government has offered this scheme to the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which include Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, and Indonesia. Discussions have commenced with a few countries with recruitment to start after negotiations are complete. But so far only Indonesia has signed a memorandum of understanding, but the status of the other three countries is still unknown.
Given the widespread underpayment and poor conditions faced by migrant workers in the sector, any new opportunities must ensure that new migration pathways do not continue to facilitate exploitation.
Concerned about a perceived lack of protections and limited details in the near approaching Visa Program, the Australian Council of Trade Unions has issued a warning about the possible abuse of foreign workers under the new visa.
We call on the re-examination of the new Agriculture Visa Program primarily focusing on the potential exposure of migrant workers to exploitation and unfair trade practices.
