The Liberal National Government has delivered a vital agriculture visa to help secure the future of rural and regional Australia. The Agricultural Worker Visa will provide a long term, reliable workforce for our critical industries while solving one of the great challenges facing regional Australia in recent history.

Anne Webster, Member for Mallee said she was incredibly proud to be a part of the government that has consistently fought for and delivered for regional communities.

“The agriculture visa will be in place no later than 30 September of this year, with the full implementation of this demand driven visa complete within 3 years,” Dr Webster said.

“The visa will be open to applicants from a range of countries and will be available to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers.

“It will include meat processing, fisheries and forestry sectors and provide a basis for the ongoing growth of our primary industries.  

“This will greatly assist the horticultural industry in Mallee as they manage and plan out their future workforce needs.

“We’ve listened to our communities and our industries, and this is what they’ve asked for. This will also help keep our next generation in Mallee knowing that the future of regional Australia is bright and prosperous.”

Deputy Leader of the Nationals and Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud said the agriculture workforce shortage has been a major issue during COVID.

“While our farmers and industries have gone about their work keeping Australians and the world fed and clothed, they have done so under workforce constraints,” Minister Littleproud said.

“With the changes to the Working Holiday Maker program following the UKFTA, the Government knew this was the time to put the agriculture visa in place.

“This is a structural change to the agricultural workforce. It gives our farmers a confidence to know they can go and plant a crop and know that they’ll be able to get it off.

“It will complement the Pacific programs we have got in place, and we will also be considering permanent residency options under the new Ag visa.”