Debra Pearce

make up a large portion of the horticultural workforce member Mallee Anne Webster is continuing to lobby for amendments she joins me now Good morning Dr Webster

Anne Webster

Good morning Deb how are you,

DP

I’m well how are you going this morning because you probably got a few things on your plate.

AW

We do have a few things on our plate here, and I’m appalled actually by the interviews that I’ve just heard from my previous interviewees. I think we’ve lost perspective.  What we need to understand here, (I had the pleasure of speaking to Dr Nick Coatsworth last night, the Commonwealth Deputy Chief Medical Officer), and we agreed that this is the situation the COVID-19 factor, if you like, is something that we’re going to have to live with, potentially for years. Is this the kind of reactive, knee jerk reaction that State Premiers are going to be putting in place, because regional communities like Sunraysia are absolutely unimpressed.

What we have here is 1000 seasonal workers who are not able to go to work today. Growers are seriously impacted. We have navels and mandarins currently being picked, (as) we’re in the peak picking part of the season. I don’t know what these people in New South Wales think is going to happen? The fruit is just going to fall from the tree by itself? These pickers are desperately needed and the reason the Commonwealth has four visa programs currently in place is because we need those international workers. Deb the other factor is that Approved Employers, which I would have thought Minister Marshall would know, are under a legal obligation to provide a particular number of hours for all of their seasonal workforce. If they can’t do that, they are the ones who are failing a legal obligation, I’m not sure how he’s planning on fixing that.

DP

What do you think is behind that decision I mean they sort of, they sort of hinted that this group of visa holders with a high risk group, as spreaders and carriers? Do you think that that’s really what it’s all about?

AW

Look I suspect that kind of discriminatory thinking is the undergirding principle … and I’m pretty appalled by it actually. These workers have been in Australia, working and living through the COVID-19 crisis. As we know we have no cases here, we have not had any cases here for months on end. These people are not, you know, the implication is they are serial spreaders, that is clearly not the case. And we need to get a little bit of calm and a little bit of reason into this situation so people can keep the economy ticking over. If their (NSW governments) intention is for the citrus industry to go belly up this year, they’re heading the right way about it.

DP

Now you mentioned, citrus is that the main commodity that’s going to be affected at the moment.

AW

Look, I’ve spoken with the industry this morning and we still have some pruning and some maintenance work going on on horticultural properties. That is also reliant on seasonal workers. They need to be able to get to work.

DP

So what changes are you calling for.

AW

Well, I’ve been in constant contact with James McTavish, the Cross Border Commissioner, whom I have to say is doing an incredible job under trying circumstances. And we have put in a submission yesterday that several communities along the border which have been excluded from the cross border zone, be included. So those amendments are now sitting with New South Wales Health, and I hope that we will get some news today to have those places included such as Koraleigh, is one that comes to mind, because we’ve had several communications about it. Also the transit process through Sturt highway. There’s been a problem there from obviously Mildura through to Robinvale, we have a lot of workers who are going, who are traveling daily to work to Robinvale and at the moment, that can’t go that way. So, look, I just think that this is a very unfortunate set of circumstances that New South Wales need to be held to account to remedy. Our cross border communities, really live and act and behave as one community, and there is no recognition of that. They need to resolve this situation.

DP

The clock is absolutely ticking for harvest etc. Are you confident you’ll get some outcomes today?

AW

Well look so far this morning from about 6:30 I’ve been calling Minister Littleproud, Minister Tudge and I will keep on calling until I get some answers from people who can make the changes that need to be made. And lobby the people that need to be lobbied because our community is suffering and you know we’ve been through enough already in this community and particularly in the horticultural industry over this last 12 months. This is one that we did not bargained for. Well, really, you don’t bargain for any of them. Any of the difficulties and we need to remedy this is a definitely a human kind (manmade) one,

DP

Dr Anne Webster, thank you for your time this morning and all the best with the work that you have to carry out today.