Media sources in and outside Australia are reporting two issues relating to labour in the horticulture industry; this media attention is causing concerns within the horticulture industry surrounding its reputation, particularly in countries where possible backpackers are living and wondering whether they should visit Australia.
At the moment, that option is not looking so attractive.
The first issue is the taxation of backpackers at a higher rate than they currently are. The other issue is the ongoing saga of rogue labour hire companies exploiting these backpackers to make a profit.
Why would a young person from Asia, Europe or elsewhere decide to commit to working on farms in Australia when they could potentially be abused, and, if they are paid, get heavily taxed on that?
That’s the extreme of the situation of course.
The taxation issue needs to be re-considered and fixed fast. Of course all workers in Australia should pay their fair share but not to the detriment of a willing workforce.
This in itself leads to the old question of why do Australia’s fruit and vegetable production areas (largely regional) have such high unemployment rates?
Growers are able to relay plenty of stories of employing locals only to have them quit after a day or two. A mentality shift is needed, but it's a difficult thing to do.
Perhaps unemployed Australian residents should be given an option of working for backpacker rates and hours, but with minimal taxation. Surely that would be an incentive to get out in the paddock?
In terms of the rogue labour hire companies, this is an issue that’s not going away any time soon, although credit should be given to the various governments for making moves to crack down on it.
There is a Google document going around among backpackers that lists growers and labour companies. It has comments beside them for others to read, indicating which are the ones to avoid. It is reportedly a sad read and not exactly the type of document that the horticulture industry wants to be circulated throughout the backpacker community.
In light of the concerns expressed by backpackers, Canadian Shane Martz has developed iBackpacker, a site and mobile phone app which allows workers to seek out positions and growers to post jobs, as well as feedback on working conditions and bosses.
Source: goodfruitandvegetables.com.au
