The National Farmers' Federation (NFF) has called for greater policy focus on building a sustainable agricultural workforce, urging policymakers to ensure that the needs of regional communities are adequately addressed.
In a submission to the Value of Skilled Migration to Australia Inquiry, which closes today, the NFF said that while skilled migrants play a supporting role in agriculture, the sector continues to rely heavily on unskilled and semi-skilled labour.
NFF president Hamish McIntyre said the core challenge facing agriculture is workforce sustainability rather than the origin of labour.
"The majority of farm labour shortages are in unskilled or semi-skilled roles," Mr McIntyre said.
"We are more worried about the long-term sustainability of the workforce supplying the agricultural sector, rather than where the workers come from.
"Rural industries rely on a mix of non-skilled and skilled labour, and policies should reflect that reality."
Mr McIntyre noted that certain parts of the sector do benefit from targeted skilled migration, particularly in specialised roles.
"Skilled migration does play a role in jobs that are tech-forward, like agronomy, precision ag, machinery maintenance and operation, biosecurity, and compliance," he said.
"We believe skilled migration should be flexible, targeted, and responsive to genuine regional demand."
The NFF recommended that greater priority be given to programs supporting the existing workforce, rather than adjustments to skilled migration settings.
"Initiatives like seasonal worker programs and domestic workforce development would be of more value to ag than tweaks to skilled migration parameters," Mr McIntyre said.
For more information:
NFF
Tel: +61 (0) 2 6269 5666
Email: [email protected]
www.nff.org.au
