One thousand Vietnamese farm labourers will arrive in Australia this year under The Nationals’ dedicated Ag Visa, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said.

“I fought hard for the Ag visa as part of the former Coalition Government, it was a disgrace that Labor abandoned regional growers and scrapped the visa despite a memorandum of understanding existing between both countries,” Dr Webster said.

“The Albanese Government reluctantly upheld the agreement with Vietnam to save face diplomatically, but subsequently delayed any action.  In an ongoing desperate shortage of labour force, growers are the ones who have again born the pain. It is simply appalling.”

Vietnamese workers are reportedly to arrive in the country by late 2024.

“This is welcome news for regional producers severely impacted by inadequate action by Labor,” Dr Webster.

“Growers have been hit on multiple fronts by poor Labor policies including water buybacks ripping irrigation water out of communities, a biosecurity levy imposed on local farmers for imported risks by foreign competitors and rushed reckless renewable projects railroading farmers across prime agricultural land.  Good stories are hard to find under Labor, but the actioning of the Ag visa should be celebrated.”

Dr Webster said more needed to be done to help solve the crisis the Albanese Labor Government has wrought upon regional Australia.

“The Australian Labor Party have ignored the needs of the agriculture sector and instead are allowing unions to dictate their policies,” Dr Webster said.

“These policies have made farming harder, and resulted in more pain at the checkout for families trying to put food on the table during a cost-of-living crisis.’