Sunraysia businesses share migration frustrations with Shadow Minister Tehan

Monday 14 October 2024

The Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan and Dr Anne Webster Member for Mallee met on Sunday with Sunraysia fruit growers, labour hire contractors, food processors and health services - including the Mildura Private Hospital - to hear their concerns about Australia’s migration settings.

The meeting follows Dr Webster speaking in Parliament on Wednesday as Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration on the tabling of the Migration, Pathway to Nation Building report – the culmination of a 2-year inquiry.

“I brought the Migration Committee to Robinvale to hear grower concerns first-hand and told Parliament on Wednesday that migrants play a key role in getting food from paddock to plate for all Australians and, indeed, the world. The visa system is not fit for purpose, and there are many opportunities to improve our current migrant workforce settings. Mallee and the Murray-Darling Basin depend on a migrant workforce for harvest and health,” Dr Webster said.

Dr Webster endorsed Committee Chair Maria Vamvakinou MP’s comments that

“As a matter of the utmost importance, the Committee gave detailed consideration to the issues surrounding regional migration. Ensuring that our regional, rural and remote areas share in the benefits that migration affords is vital for the ongoing prosperity of those areas.”

As Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, Dr Webster highlighted that the migration system was essential to help fill immediate and dire health workforce shortages in the regions.

“Labor policies have increased the risk to regional Australians’ health, expanding the Distribution Priority Area upon coming to office.  A major report into Medicare tabled last week confirmed the DPA system is now broken. 700 of the nation’s 827 GP catchments across Australia – that’s 85 per cent - now have DPA status,” Dr Webster said.

“I was thrilled to have Dan Tehan visiting Mallee to see first-hand what our great region has to offer and hearing from stakeholders about how our migration system can work for regional Australia. While criticisms of Labor’s huge migration intake into urban areas are warranted, it is critical for regional Australia that migration supports us during our diabolical health, agricultural and general workforce shortages.”

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