Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth has rejected warnings from Australian farmers that the cost of food will rise as a result of changes to the migration system.
Asked whether the cost of food would increase, Rishworth told ABC’s News Breakfast:
“I don’t accept the premise of what’s being put forward. We have taken a responsible approach to migration, a sustainable approach to migration. I mean, what’s really clear is that we’ll still have access to backpackers. Indeed, backpackers in their second and third year will have to work in regional areas, there is also a number of other places that people can get agricultural workers.”
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth.Dominic Lorrimer
She said farmers should consider using the Pacific Labor Mobility Scheme (PALM) – a program allowing eligible businesses to hire temporary workers from Pacific Island countries – to access agricultural workers.
“It’s a really important scheme that’s potentially underutilised,” Rishworth said.
“But more broadly, when it comes to migration, it is about taking a response that ensures that we have integrity in the system, that we have compliance in the system.”