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News Labour of love
Labour of love
The word labour has never been far from the mind of table grape growers.
In fact, sourcing workers has been a point of contention for Australia’s horticulture industries for decades.
But since the Federal Government declared Australia’s borders closed to stop the spread of Covid-19, Australian growers have reportedly been forced to leave fruit on vines; family-owned establishments have undertaken back-breaking work just to harvest their crops; and there has been a lot of talk of growers paying exorbitantly high rates just to keep workers on farm.
Back in March, crop losses hit $50 million around Australia, according to the National Farmers’ Federation’s National Lost Crop Register. Even so, this year is on track to be a recordbreaking year for agriculture, with ABARES expecting total farm output to exceed $66 billion.
State and federal governments have been working with industries to roll out initiatives designed to counter the workforce shortage, including announcing an agriculture-specific visa – yet to be finalised – changing existing visa conditions, introducing programs to recruit youth, students, the culturally and linguistically diverse communities, unemployed and existing farm workers into industry.
As an industry organisation, the Australian Table Grape Association has been involved in significant consultation with state and federal governments, provided industry guidance on workforce workshops, and developed video tools (funded by Agriculture Victoria) to help recruit and retain new seasonal workers or existing workers currently working in other industries across Australia (see p. 32).
However, despite these efforts, growers have reported being anxious about what the continued pressure on labour will mean for the upcoming season, with the crisis expected to worsen, and some are taking as many precautions as possible to ensure they’ll minimise the impact on their businesses.
While most growers source their workers through approved labour hire providers, following two challenging seasons, some have felt the need to strategically increase their chances of securing workers by applying to become approved employers for the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) and Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS).
So, what’s an approved employer?
Approved employers are either direct employers, who predominantly recruit for their own business, or labour hire companies and others who can on-hire to growers. They can participate in the SWP and the PLS because they have applied to do so through the Australian Government.
Approved employers enter into an agreement with the Australian Government through the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE). Additionally, they have to enter into a sponsorship arrangement with the Department of Home Affairs to bring in overseas workers.
Carnarvon grower Bumbak & Sons began this process three years ago. Their human resources and quality assurance manager Robyn Bumbak said as the bitter effects of the international border closures soured the season, they saw the benefit of already being approved employers. “Shore up the core”
“The key benefit for our business and the reason we applied to be approved employers through SWP was to shore up the core of our labour requirements each season,” Robyn said. “Being part of SWP was never about supplying 100 per cent of our labour force, but about providing us with a core group of staff who would stay for the whole season, that we could train up and would return to us year after year.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has definitely highlighted to us the benefit of the program in having access to labour when there are such severe labour shortages in so many industries.”
The process of becoming an approved employer is not for everyone; some growers currently undertaking the process have lamented the lengthiness, confusing nature and demands of the application conditions.
While Robyn agreed the undertaking was “overwhelming” at the beginning, and the paperwork element of the process was “frustrating”, she said it was critical that businesses applying were “reading the requirements, checking off the checklists provided, making sure you have provided everything required and responding to requests for more information in a timely manner”.
“Being an approved employer has provided our business with consistency in our labour force,” she said. “Not only do we have a core base of staff but these recruits have already been trained by us, know our procedures, standards and work conditions.”
Robyn said the annual recruitment conditions could also be “a challenge”, with approved employers required to provide suitable accommodation and meet other necessary worker
conditions. Although there is “some more organisation required than using seasonal staff already in Australia”, the benefits have far outweighed any hitches.
“During a situation like the Covid-19 pandemic there has been an added cost to bringing workers into the country, and that is something we definitely had to seriously consider,” she said. “But the benefits extend beyond our business. Over the years our recruits have shared with us how their savings from working with us have allowed them, once home, to start businesses, buy vehicles, purchase land, rebuild after cyclones – the program really makes a difference to the people of the Pacific Islands. It also benefits our local community as the crew attend churches, support local businesses, attend community events and participate in local sporting clubs.
“We are so fortunate that we became approved employers when we did,” Robyn said. “With our business expansion our harvest crew requirements grew from 30 to 80 quickly and the program definitely assisted with this transition. In early 2020, the pandemic put a halt to our recruiting, but we were fortunate enough to locate some recruits who were stranded in Australia and out of work that could be transferred to us.
“Then in 2021 Western Australia finally allowed the arrival of seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands into the state and we now have 22 recruits on farm, with another eight arriving later in the year.” Robyn declared the biggest challenge of the program the “emotional side”.
“As a family run business working closely with our team, we get to know them well,” she said. “You see first-hand the sacrifices they make to support their families – being away from their loved ones for up to nine months, missing cultural celebrations or the birth of their children, having loved ones pass away and not being able to get them home in time to see them.” v
SEASONAL WORKER PROGRAMME PACIFIC LABOUR SCHEME
Length of time Up to 9 months
Industries
Locations Agriculture, accommodation (in select locations) Agriculture: Nationally. Accommodation: WA, NT, Tropical North Qld and Kangaroo Island
Skill level Unskilled and low-skilled
Labour market testing Required
Agency Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business
Age of workers 21 years and over
Partner countries Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Tuvalu Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Tuvalu
Up to 3 years (minimum 12 months)
All sectors in rural and regional Australia
Rural and regional Australia
Low-skilled and semi-skilled
Required
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
21–45 years
How to apply?
Application and approval processes for the PLS and SWP are managed by the Australian Government.
The process isn’t as easy as first thought, and unfortunately – at this stage – until an applicant begins the process, they’re unable to see what’s required.
Once approved, businesses must undertake a 10-step process (SWP), which includes developing a recruitment proposal which is submitted and assessed by the relevant state. If the proposal is approved, a recruitment application can be made, involving labour market testing, detailed accommodation arrangements and wellbeing plans for the workers. If approved by DESE, the application is sent back to the state chief health officer for final endorsement before workers are mobilised and then arrive in Australia to quarantine.
The Australian Table Grape Association is working to make information available for industry members, but for now, you can find out more from the official channels:
https://www.dese.gov.au/seasonalworker-programme/informationseasonal-worker-employers/processbecome-approved-employer https://pacificlabourmobility.com.au
