Foreign Workers Solutions for the Australian Grains Industry Worker Shortage
Budget: $30 – $50 AUD
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-01-28/wa-farmers-call-for-specialist-skill-clarification/100786538
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-03/covid-fuelled-worker-shortage-derails-record-wa-grain-harvest/100432616
The Australian grains industry needs skilled workers to drive million dollar machinery seeding march april may and harvest ovct nov dec
The depopulation of the regional towns and aggregation of farms in western Australia from 16000 farms in 1970 to 3000 today has led to serious skills shortages
High paying jobs in the mining sector and fly in fly out options allowing workers to work in Perth have soaked up skilled machinery operators
the gap has been filled by working holiday makers mostly from europe but new industryal safety laws and ever more complex machinery required continuity of staff to return each season
The pacific island visa is aimed at hort workers who are generally not skilled in machinery operation
The Ag Visa has failed to get off the ground
Immigration has seen workers focus on the cities for jobs
The economic case for a specialist ag visa for grain production needs to be made.
Explanation why grains is unique and different to horituculture
Options to tweek the existing visas incl push through with the ag visa and attract english speaking phillipino workers who have a track record of big machinery operation. Or tweek the pacifici island visa for similar workers with skillls along with a visa focusing on supporting working holiday makers to transition to permanent residents to attract eastern europeans.
I expect 100 hrs and 5000 words
Plenty of papers out there on the skills shortage but needs a simple summary of what visas are available and their pros and cons and what changes are needed to attract workers to fly in and out for 2 x 3 months annually.
Paper is for WAFarmers to build the political policy case
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-03/covid-fuelled-worker-shortage-derails-record-wa-grain-harvest/100432616
The Australian grains industry needs skilled workers to drive million dollar machinery seeding march april may and harvest ovct nov dec
The depopulation of the regional towns and aggregation of farms in western Australia from 16000 farms in 1970 to 3000 today has led to serious skills shortages
High paying jobs in the mining sector and fly in fly out options allowing workers to work in Perth have soaked up skilled machinery operators
the gap has been filled by working holiday makers mostly from europe but new industryal safety laws and ever more complex machinery required continuity of staff to return each season
The pacific island visa is aimed at hort workers who are generally not skilled in machinery operation
The Ag Visa has failed to get off the ground
Immigration has seen workers focus on the cities for jobs
The economic case for a specialist ag visa for grain production needs to be made.
Explanation why grains is unique and different to horituculture
Options to tweek the existing visas incl push through with the ag visa and attract english speaking phillipino workers who have a track record of big machinery operation. Or tweek the pacifici island visa for similar workers with skillls along with a visa focusing on supporting working holiday makers to transition to permanent residents to attract eastern europeans.
I expect 100 hrs and 5000 words
Plenty of papers out there on the skills shortage but needs a simple summary of what visas are available and their pros and cons and what changes are needed to attract workers to fly in and out for 2 x 3 months annually.
Paper is for WAFarmers to build the political policy case