Fresh Updates

Election pledges in the spotlight

All eyes are now on returned Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to see if she makes good on the promises made during the Queensland election campaign. Those promises include $20 million in upgrades to the Mount Lindesay Highway and a $1 billion pipeline of train manufacturing to be based in Maryborough. The government also pledged to crack down on land clearing, and pledged $30 million to reward landholders and primary producers for reducing emissions through a land restoration fund. In a move of particular importance for growers, Labor has pledged to invest $50 million to reduce irrigation water bills by at least 15% for all irrigators, with fruit and vegetable growers set to receive a 50% cut to their irrigation water charges. Price drops are expected to start from 1 July 2021. Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister, Anthony Lynham, said the decision would make a real difference for Queensland farmers. “For our fruit and veg growers, it means increased productivity and profitability, and more jobs on their farms,” he said. Growcom CEO, Stephen Barnard, said it was pleasing to see a focus on expanding the production of fruits, vegetables and nuts, given the enormous number of jobs these industries create in rural and regional Queensland. “We are excited by the commitment from a returned Palaszczuk Government of a 50% cut to the price of water over three years where fruits, vegetables and nuts are being produced,” Mr Barnard said. “This commitment will come as welcome relief to some growers, and for many more it will create a great deal of optimism. For the first time in a long while growers on irrigation schemes will be considering expanding their operations.” Another election pledge crucial to rural and regional areas is the promise to build a new highway, inland through Queensland from Charters Towers to the NSW border, to reduce trucks on the Bruce Highway. The $200 million election pledge requires the federal government to chip in an additional $800 million for the

And the winner is: Annastacia Palaszczuk has won a third term as Queensland’s Premier.

project. The funding would also include the upgrade of roads and bridges between Townsville and Roma to support heavy vehicles on the inland route.

According to Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey, the upgraded freight route would allow an alternative when the Bruce Highway was cut off during extreme weather events and shave “four to five hours” off a trip to Melbourne. “The Queensland Trucking Association and RACQ have advocated strongly for this because they know it makes economic sense,” he said.

Recruiting begins for Harvest Army

Growers across the state have been doing their best to attract the workforce they so desperately need to ensure they can maintain the supply of affordable fresh produce for Australian consumers. On the Granite Belt, growers are calling out for Australian workers to join their Harvest Army. COVID-19 has become an additional, unwelcome burden for the growers who are still facing an ongoing drought in their region. According to Granite Belt Growers Association (GBGA) President, Angus Ferrier, the campaign seeks to fill more than 4,000 seasonal jobs in the region from now until May 2021 and there has been a strong response with over 600 inquiries so far. “We take our summer production responsibilities very seriously and are determined not to leave produce in the field due to labour shortages,” Mr Ferrier said.

“Local growers have committed $10,000 of their own funds so far to target displaced Australian workers, school leavers, university students and backpackers. We don’t care where the workers come from, we just seek motivated people willing to have a go in horticulture.” While there are a number of other initiatives to promote picking in Queensland, the GBGA wanted to create a campaign to attract workers as a benefit to the organisation’s members, as well as explicitly saying when, where and what jobs were available in the region. Initially aimed at promoting job opportunities for the 2020/21 summer growing season, the GBGA expects the campaign to be ongoing to ensure the region stays front of mind for those considering work in horticulture.

“It’s a misconception to say that our industry only employs foreign workers; we’d welcome more involvement from an Australian workforce,” he said. “Horticulture is a really dynamic industry, there is a role for everyone and anyone provided they are willing, physically able and enthusiastic enough to come and give it a go. “It’s highly technical work and an essential industry above all else. In future years and generations, there’s going to be a need for home-grown specialists and professionals to work in our industry.” For more information or to apply for seasonal work on the Granite Belt, visit granitebeltgrowers.com.au/jobs/.

Recruiting workers: the Granite Belt Growers Association has produced shareable graphics to encourage Australians to sign up to their Harvest Army.

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Growers hit crunch time for workers

Ernst & Young’s report into horticulture’s workforce needs confirmed what everyone in the industry already knew: Australia is facing a dire shortage of farm workers and pickers. The report, ‘Seasonal horticulture demand and workforce study’, was commissioned by Hort Innovations and released in late September. It found that the casual labour gap in Australian horticulture will increase from November and reach a peak in March 2021, with up to 26,000 workers required across Australia.

Seven key production regions are predicted to be hardest hit by the worker shortages caused by COVID-19, including Cairns and the Wide Bay in Queensland. The study highlighted that fruit commodities were likely to make up around 85% of the demand for labour, driven by higher labour intensity and higher reliance on the casual workforce.

In Queensland, the report identified strawberries, bananas and capsicums as the commodities with the highest labour demand, and the state requires between 2,900 and 5,100 casual workers each month. Victoria has the highest demand, with between 1,500 and 22,600 workers required each month. On average, growers expect to be able to fill only six out of every ten short term roles over the next six to twelve months. The report identified two major peaks in labour demand over the next 18 months, which represent peak harvest times in VIC, QLD and NSW, being January to April 2021 and July to December 2021.

The impact of COVID-19, stay at home orders, and state and international border closures isn’t a uniquely Australian issue.

Looking to the

Pacific Islands for pickers

The Seasonal Worker Program allows workers from Pacific Island countries to work in agriculture for up to nine months and the Ernst & Young report found that there were at least 4,000 fewer than usual Seasonal Worker Program visas issued in 2020. In August, the federal government announced the restart of the program with an initial pilot program bringing in 162 workers from Vanuatu to assist with the harvest of mangoes in the Northern Territory after completing their 14-days mandatory quarantine in September. The trial relied on the NT mango industry paying the $2,500 quarantine fee for each worker on top of the cost of the chartered flight from Vanuatu. A second contingent of 161 workers from Vanuatu arrived in October. Tyson Cattle, AUSVEG National Manger – Public Affairs and Farmers’ Federation Horticulture Council executive officer, said there was no quick fix for the labour situation. According to the report, in the UK only 25% of the normal 60,000 casual labourers were expected to arrive in 2020, with local organisations launching job-matching schemes to connect the unemployed with jobs in the agriculture sector. Likewise, France has forecast a shortage of 200,000 casual labourers before the end of 2020.

If international border closures remain in force beyond March 2021, labour gaps could be much longer and higher. The issue has received some attention in the Federal Budget but only time will tell if these initiatives will provide practical

Horticulture worker shortages are being felt around the world due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

assistance. “It’s really frustrating for the industry because, as we head into the warmer months and harvest, we could see there were going to be continued problems in the lead-up to Christmas. We’ve seen a second flight into Darwin. That’s a good result but to be honest there were seven weeks between flights,” Mr Cattle said.

In early October, Queensland opted into the recommencement of the program and, unlike the trial in the NT, arriving workers have the opportunity to undertake either on-farm or hotel quarantine before commencing work. The Federal Budget provided $275 million over four years to waive visa application fees of temporary visa holders, including backpackers and seasonal workers, due to international border closures.

An additional $9 million over the next three years was allocated to ensure the welfare of workers on the Seasonal Worker Program via 19 pacific labour mobility officers. While Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said he expected up to 4,000 workers to arrive under the Seasonal Worker Program by the end of 2020, the 323 from Vanuatu and 150 from Timor Leste who arrived in Tasmania in December have so far been the only arrivals. With Vanuatu reporting its first ever case of COVID-19 in November, it remains to be seen whether this will hamper further roll-outs of the program.

Enticing Australian workers

With hard international border closures limiting the number of foreign workers in the country, governments at all levels have been looking towards Australians to fill the labour gaps in horticulture.

Grower groups have been clear that they would prefer to employ a local workforce, but there is a lack of Australian workers willing to fill the gaps despite unemployment rates reaching 6.9% nationally and 7.7% in Queensland. Governmental relocation assistance and marketing campaigns to encourage Australian workers to ‘go bush’ have been rolled out, but will it be enough to entice an Australian workforce seemingly unwilling to pick Australia’s fresh produce? In October, the Queensland Government launched a pilot ‘Back to Work in Agriculture Incentive Scheme’ with initial trials to take place in the Wide Bay and Darling Downs regions. Designed to encourage eligible Queenslanders to meet short-term labour shortage demands in agriculture, the scheme includes payments of up to $1,500 to assist with accommodation and transport costs associated with travelling and staying in remote locations. In their budget announced in October, the federal government committed $17.4 million over two years for relocation assistance to encourage Australian workers to take up jobs in regional areas. The money pays for one-off relocation rebates of up to $6,000 for those workers prepared to go regional for at least six weeks or work 120 hours.

Additionally, a new wage subsidy, JobMaker, provides employers with $200 a week for each new job created for 16 to 29-year-olds and $100 a week for any new job created for 30 to 35-year-olds who have been on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance or Parenting Payment. Any young person who earns up to $15,000 in agriculture before 30 December 2021 will qualify for Youth Allowance,

According to the Ernst & Young report, almost 50% of all casual labour on farms is provided by backpackers on Working Holiday visas. With international border closures preventing new backpackers from arriving in the country, federal government estimates show their current numbers have fallen from 160,000 to 70,000. Along with the four-year waiver for application fees for temporary visa holders, the Federal Budget released in October announced that Working Holiday visa holders will be eligible for a $2,000 relocation bonus to move to regional areas for work and the visa’s age limit has been scrapped. Furthermore, backpackers on Working Holiday visas will be able to work more than six months for the one employer if they are employed in the agricultural or food processing industries. However, with picking seasons lasting only a few months or weeks, opportunities for backpackers are limited

To encourage Australians to get picking a number of marketing campaigns have been launched including the state government’s #pickqld and ‘Work and Play in the Whitsundays’ by Tourism Queensland and the Bowen Gumlu Growers Association.

and JobSeeker and Youth Allowance recipients are now able to earn up to $300 per fortnight from a farmer before welfare payments are reduced. AUSVEG CEO, James Whiteside, is hopeful the measures will make an impact on worker shortages by encouraging more people to move to regional areas. “It may not be the silver bullet the industry needs, but we are encouraged that the government is working with industry to find workable and reasonable solutions to this critical problem. AUSVEG encourages growers to lodge their labour requirements using the National Harvest Labour Information Service (NHLIS) and for locals looking for farm work to also

Bringing back the backpackers

use the service,” Mr Whiteside said.

unless they are employed by a labour hire firm that can move them from farm to farm.

Bowen Gumlu Growers Association president, Carl Walker, said that backpackers needed to be a part of any horticulture labour strategy. “Many backpackers are ready for a break after they complete their 88 days on farm, however the money they earn while working in the country stays in the country, they readily invest back into Australia’s economy because of the amount they spend in our tourism industry,” Mr Walker said.

However, with the Queensland Government still implementing mandatory 14-day quarantine for all international travellers at their own expense, it’s unlikely that we will see backpackers arriving in the state in great numbers any time soon.

Paradise Dam dilemma puts investments on hold

Investments in the Burnett region have been postponed in the wake of the reduction of Paradise Dam’s capacity. According to Citrus Australia CEO, Nathan Hancock, the decision threatens the Burnett’s flourishing citrus industry and would prevent its future growth if the dam is not restored to its original height. “External advice has revealed that the damaged dam wall can be repaired, removing any potential threat to the community,” Mr Hancock said. “The irony is, the government’s decision to permanently lower the wall, and the amount of water that can be held, will cause billions of dollars of damage in terms of lost revenue and potential employment opportunities in the region.” Craig Spencer, owner and Managing Director of the Carter & Spencer Group, began farming in the region in 2007 with the purchase of an established citrus orchard at Wallaville, north west of Bundaberg. “We had been marketing the fruit for the previous owner since its inception, so when they decided to retire it was natural that we would consider purchasing the orchard. Water reliability was always an issue prior to the dam being built, so without Paradise Dam, I doubt we would have made the investment into farming at that time,” Mr Spencer said. Since purchasing the orchard, Carter & Spencer has invested in a number of farming operations in the Bundaberg region and now employs 120 to 200 people depending on the time of year. “Before the news of the state government’s decision to lower the wall of Paradise Dam, we had a number of key expansion projects underway,” Mr Spencer said. “We had a major upgrade of our irrigation equipment planned on our existing farm. That upgrade was budgeted to cost $900,000. In addition, we had commenced developing another 42 hectares which we planned to plant to citrus.

“With the investment in irrigation infrastructure, purchasing additional water, the cost of planting young trees and getting them into production we were planning to invest well over $2 million and create further permanent jobs for locals.

Investments on hold: Carter & Spencer Managing Director, Craig Spencer, at their Moore Park Eggplant Facility in the Bundaberg region.

“That is money we would have spent with our local irrigation supplier; that’s jobs that are at risk now that these types of projects aren’t going ahead. Now, we have a farm we can’t fully utilise, trees we can’t plant, and we’ve had to cancel our irrigation infrastructure plans. All our investment projects in the Bundaberg area have been put on hold.”

Protecting existing water a priority

Bundaberg’s growers and local council are continuing their calls for reassurance that Paradise Dam will be restored to full capacity, amidst investments put on hold, and a class action against SunWater and the state government over mismanagement of the dam. During the state election, Bundaberg Regional Council urged their federal and state counterparts to rule out the possibility of the water stored in Paradise Dam for the Bundaberg irrigation scheme transferred to other schemes, outside the Bundaberg region. Executive Director of Economic Development and Strategic Projects, Ben Artup, said the council was concerned that when the dam was repaired, water would not be available because it had been diverted elsewhere.

“It’s critically important that water is stored there and reserved for our region for the future, so when we grow … that water is available for purchase in the future to underpin our economic security,” he said. At the time, Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham said the yield from Paradise Dam would be restored, subject to structural test results.

“We have said time and time again, the yield from Paradise Dam will be restored,” he said. “Now our priority is obviously to get that yield from a restored Paradise Dam wall, which depends on testing results. If testing results come back negative, that yield will be restored from other new infrastructure.”

Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers Managing Director, Bree Grima, said that billions of dollars of investments had been put on hold in the region due to the reduction of Paradise Dam’s capacity. “The flow-on impact with that is the 8,000 jobs that are associated with agriculture in this region, so we’re extremely concerned if Paradise Dam is not returned to full supply level and we need to ensure that the water in that dam is for the irrigators in the Bundaberg Irrigation Scheme,” Ms Grima said. “The confidence that the growers have, that they can access more water, that they can grow and they can expand their operation, has been severely reduced.”

Dam dreams becoming reality

A critical milestone in the construction of the 12,000 megalitre Emu Swamp Dam was reached when the final phase of water sales commenced in September. Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said involved irrigators would finalise their water allocation agreements for the dam and pipeline project located in the Granite Belt, south-west of Stanthorpe. “Emu Swamp Dam will provide water to 51 agribusiness customers and bring wide-reaching benefits to the region. It is expected to create 250 jobs during construction, and 700 new full-time agriculture and supporting jobs in the region,” Dr Lynham said. The state government committed $13.6 million to kick start Emu Swamp Dam, with an advanced release of $6 million to fast-track the project. The collective monetary support from irrigators will total $23.4 million, 28% of the cost of the scheme, to be the highest proportion of private investment in water infrastructure in Queensland’s history. Granite Belt Water CEO Lloyd Taylor said finalising the financial commitment of local irrigators would trigger the next stage of works. “Importantly, the completion of this phase will be a significant step towards breaking ground on construction of the dam,” Mr Taylor said. Once operational, Emu Swamp Dam will provide water security for irrigators by guaranteeing a monthly average of 90% of their water allocation. The arrival of a La Niña phase has signalled a wet spring and summer, however, it is unlikely that the rainfall experienced so far is enough to break the ongoing drought. As La Niña warms Australia’s northern waters more moisture is lifted into the air than normal, typically resulting in increased rain for eastern and northern Australia. According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Head of Climate Operations, Andrew Watkins, this moisture can lead to cooler daytime temperatures. “We tend to have more cloud and a bit more moisture around to evaporate to keep the air a bit cooler. Conversely at night, when you’ve got the cloud acting like a lid trapping in that heat, it can be a bit warmer,” he said. Dr Watkins said that this year’s event was expected to be weaker than the La Niña which caused significant damage across South-East Queensland in early 2011.

Devastation leads to innovation on the Granite Belt

The loss of a 30-year-old cherry orchard is the inspiration for a new dam cover that hopes to provide greater water security and reduce water loss due to evaporation. ProteC Plus CEO, Graham Minifie, announced the closure of Cherry Park’s commercial operations in June, after witnessing daily tree deaths for over six months and being unable to purchase water to survive the drought. “Going through drought ourselves, losing the whole property as far as the commercial part of it, I realised we had to conserve every piece of water made available,” Mr Minifie said. This proved to be the spark of inspiration for the creation of protective canopies to prevent water evaporation from on-farm dams. After 12 months of designing and testing, including a series of trials by growers in Stanthorpe, the final design was launched in September. “On a yearly basis, the ground loses about 30% of its evaporation storage just from the sun, whereas with a shade cloth on it you minimise that to just a few percent,” Mr Minifie said.

“That was a huge issue and a major part of our water loss, so we saw the opportunity there to expand on our beliefs by doing it ourselves and setting up a business to help.” According to Mr Minifie, the covers are designed to allow water to seep in while preventing evaporation and can

La Niña brings rain

be easily assembled, moved, or removed.

During previous La Niña years, northern and eastern Australia have experienced wetter-than-normal conditions. IMAGE: Bureau of Meteorology

Water security on the federal agenda

An additional $2 billion investment in new national water infrastructure projects and an additional $50 million in funding for an on-farm water infrastructure scheme was announced as part of the Federal Budget in October. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Michael McCormack, said the Australian Government was working closely with state and territory partners to identify a rolling program of priority water infrastructure projects to be paid for by the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund. “The government is planning for the long term through a 10-year rolling program of priority water infrastructure investments. We have already committed to more than 20 water infrastructure projects across Australia, supplying billions of litres of water for productive use each year, but we want to do even more,” he said. The On-farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme, which is open to horticulturalists with permanent plantings, received an additional $50 million to provide rebates up to 25% of the eligible infrastructure costs, capped at $25,000. Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, said the original scheme was over-subscribed by an estimated 2,000 applications. “The rebate scheme was very well received by farmers because the infrastructure it supported provided enduring benefits, including new bores, better dams and pipes that allowed movement of water to their stock,” Minister Pitt said. Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, David Littleproud, said the scheme was popular because it provided much needed assistance to improve water security, productivity and profitability. “While recent rains are a cause for optimism, recovering from drought can take years rather than months,” Minister Littleproud said. “This rebate is essential in the immediate term to help farmers keep permanent plantings alive in the drought. It’s even more valuable over the long term because the water infrastructure farmers build now will better prepare them for future drought events.”

The scheme is managed by states and territories, who are currently in discussions with the federal government about potential co-funding arrangements. “The Commonwealth has stepped up to provide this extra funding to ensure more farmers do not miss out on this crucial rebate, and I know farmers would welcome state governments also stepping up to co-fund these rebates in order to provide certainty to communities,” Minister Littleproud said.

New case brings Tully tally to five

A commercial banana farm in the Tully Valley has had a confirmed positive test for the Panama disease tropical race 4 (TR4). It is the fifth property to be infected with the Panama TR4 since it was first detected in the area in 2015.

Panama TR4 Program Leader Rhiannon Evans said the case was discovered early due to regular surveillance on the property. “Early detection is vital. Through destruction of infected plants, the build-up of fungal spores in soil can be minimised, limiting the spread of the disease,” Ms Evans said. “Biosecurity Queensland is working cooperatively with the grower to make sure biosecurity measures are in place to limit disease spread and protect the banana industry.” Stephen Lowe, Chair of the Australian Banana Growers’ Council, said that while news of the disease spreading was not surprising, it was still a blow for the industry and the business concerned. “Our thoughts are, of course, with the grower affected. This is a challenging time for them and we will assist in any way we can,” he said. “This grower already had excellent biosecurity measures in place, which always helps greatly when thrown into the position of having to comply with a notice of Panama TR4.”

Ms Evans said the disease had spread gradually and was still contained within the Tully Valley. “We’re increasing surveillance in the Tully Valley, and expanding it to all banana growing areas across Far North Queensland,” she said. “Strong on-farm biosecurity and regular surveillance are vital to limiting the spread of Panama TR4. “The Panama TR4 Program will continue to work closely with growers and the industry to deliver a cost-effective surveillance program that provides an early and effective response to disease presence.” If anyone suspects Panama TR4, report it immediately to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23. To find out more about Panama TR4, visit biosecurity.qld.gov.au.

Signs of Panama TR4 include leaf streaking and browning. IMAGE: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries