Working Holiday Visa Price Hike - Affects Far North Queensland

[Guest The Pom Queen]

FAR Northern fruit and vegetable growers who rely heavily on backpackers say they will face labour shortage after a move by the Federal Government to increase the working holiday visa fee.

And the Tableland, which has 4000-5000 seasonal workers in the course of a year, will be particularly badly hit.

Businesses specialising in backpacker accommodation would also feel a chill wind.

The Government this week announced the cost of the working holidaymaker visa would rise by $80 or 28 per cent to $360.

Mt Uncle Farming general manager Rob Watkins said about half its workers were backpackers and the fee increase would affect their business, making it harder to get seasonal workers.

“The banana industry in north Queensland will be in dire straits if we don’t have international backpackers because there are not enough locals,” Mr Watkins said.

Ausveg, which represents the country’s 9000 vegetable and potato growers, said travellers might decide to go elsewhere, depriving Australian growers of a vital source of labour.

Mareeba and District Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association president Joe Moro said about half of the farm and fruit workers on the Tableland were backpackers.

Over a 12 month period there were 4000-5000 backpackers working on the Tableland and the fee increase was a big concern.

“Any extra cost (of a visa) will affect how many come to Australia,” he said.

“We have been able to meet our labour requirements because we have a lot of backpackers coming into the area, so this won’t help matters.

“If there are fewer backpackers around, we would start to see labour shortages, but it is hard to say how big the impact could be.

“The backpackers have been one of the things that have kept the area going for the last few years so it is disappointing that they have slugged a group of tourists that have been helping the Far North out,” Mr Moro said.

French backpacker Sophie Battereau, who has been in Australia with her husband Tom for six months, said they arrived with 20,000 Euros ($25,000), so an $80 increase was insignificant.

“We would still come here anyway,“ Ms Battereau said.

“If you are planning to come to Australia you can’t make a cross on your dream.

“It is only $80, so you pay, even if it is not something good.”

But she said some travellers to Australia only had limited money.

“If people don’t have much money to start with, they might not come,” she said.

The Battereaus are working at Costa Exchange, packing bananas for Mt Uncle Farming at Walkamin.

[nicolac34]

$80 extra and people won't come? What a load of rubbish!

[BritChickx]

Yeah 80$ wouldn't stop me either if you wanna go to aus that much you will pay.....not that I agree with the visa price increase, just don't think it'd affect the local farms, if anything if people have less money wouldn't they want work more anyway?

[Guest katie007]

The Australian Government should with this Price Hike which comes into play on the 1st Jan 2013, start looking at Staff Numbers, as there is some 20,000 417 TWHV issued and now they are looking at adding Countries like Greece and others.

 

So, the TWHV numbers will grow.

 

If they are going to hike up Prices, they must employ more staff to process the massive numbers.