The Nationals’ immigration plan will give a fair go to regional Australians, by restoring the regional workforce and sending jobs where they are needed most.
Nationals Leader Matt Canavan said the plan will;
• scrap Labor’s backpacker lottery,
• incentivise more regional backpackers, with lower fees for regional areas;
• reintroduce the Agriculture Visa.
“Australia needs a migration system that puts Australian workers, businesses, families and farmers first, not one that relies on mass migration,” Senator Canavan said.
“Labor has let too many people in to our country. Labor’s mass migration has pushed down wages, hurt living standards and led to a temporary guest worker class that is eroding our social harmony.
“It is unAustralian to rely on cheap, foreign labour to boost our economic performance like Labor is doing. We will restore the traditional, Australian approach to migration which targets the skills we need without undermining a fair go for Australian workers.
“The Coalition will take back control of our migration system and ensure it works for Australia by bringing in the right people in the right numbers, with a laser focus on the skills regional Australia needs.
“We will prioritise skilled migration, including skilled partners, fill construction gaps through new killed project visas, protect regional programs, such as agriculture, health, tourism and hospitality.”
“We will return the Working Holiday Maker visa to first principles, encouraging backpackers to undertake seasonal work in regional Australia.
“We will reverse Labor’s ballot system and caps for second and third-year Working Holiday Maker visa extensions.
“We will differentiate between Working Holiday Makers in regional and non-regional areas by lowering fees for regional areas.
“Labor’s WHM policy heavily restricts the WHM program, by introducing second- and third-year ballots, which will damage seasonal workforces. We will reverse these changes.
Nationals Member for Riverina Michael McCormack said the Coalition will introduce a preference for regional work for the WHM visa.
“Labor’s ballot system is rushed and unfair, which disadvantages the farmers and regional communities, which rely on seasonal backpackers,” Mr McCormack said.
“We will also develop a new Agriculture Visa to meet the needs of that critical sector in regional Australia, including right here in the Riverina.
“We will prioritise skilled migration to ensure it is plugging our most critical needs, maximising the quality of applicants and the economic contribution of the migration program to our country.
“These changes will lift productivity in the Australian economy, and therefore real wages and living standards by raising the average skill level and output per person of temporary migrants, reducing the scope for firms to draw upon cheap foreign labour, and ease capacity pressures and congestion in infrastructure and services.”
Rhiannon Druce, whose family owns and operates the Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory, said regional businesses rely on having access to a reliable workforce and welcomed measures which support regional employers.
“Like many regional businesses, we know how important it is to have access to workers who are willing to live and work in country communities,” Ms Druce said.
“Backpackers and temporary workers have played an important role in helping businesses like ours manage seasonal demand and continue growing in regional Australia.
“Regional Australia should not be competing for workers as an afterthought. Giving employers better access to labour where it is needed most will help create certainty and support long-term investment in towns such as Junee.
“The 88-day regional work requirement gives international visitors a genuine and realistic snapshot of Australia, rather than limiting their experience to the major cities, and many who come to fulfil that requirement end up falling in love with the lifestyle and community spirit of country towns, choosing to extend their stays and become valued long-term members of our regional workforce.”
