Months after the Federal Government committed to a national food security strategy, a policy decision by Immigration Minister Tony Burke is eroding Australia’s ability to produce its own dairy foods.
Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) says Burke’s Ministerial Direction has pushed skilled regional workers down the visa processing queue at the worst possible time for dairy farmers.
Ministerial Direction 119, signed by Minister Burke took effect on 25 July, changed the processing priorities for skilled visas used by dairy farmers, including the 482, 186, 494 and through the Dairy Industry Labour Agreement.
ADF President Ben Bennett said the change removed the previous priority given to employer-sponsored skilled visa applications for regional Australia.
“This was not simply an administrative change. It was a Ministerial Direction. Tony Burke signed it, and it has real consequences for regional employers,” Mr Bennett said.
“Dairy farmers have spent thousands of dollars planning and recruiting skilled workers because they cannot find the people they need locally. They have followed the Government’s rules and used the pathways specifically designed to address regional skills shortages.
“Now, with countless applications already paid for and in the system, the Government has without consultation or warning, changed the rules after the event blowing processing times out further.”
The decision also cuts across the Government’s own 2023 Migration Strategy, which recognised that regional employers struggle to attract workers and committed to giving regional employer-sponsored migration high processing priority.
On 15 May, ADF appeared in front of the Joint Standing Committee for Migration where even that committee recognised the importance of skilled workers to the dairy industry.
“What makes this particularly frustrating is that Minister Burke knows agriculture,” Mr Bennett said.
“He has previously served as Agriculture Minister and Workplace Relations Minister. He understands regional labour shortages and he understands that dairy farms cannot simply stop operating while they wait for workers.”
ADF and the broader industry was not consulted or given advance warning before the change took effect.
The timing is particularly difficult as many dairy regions move through peak calving and production periods.
“Make no mistake about this dairy farmers’ are furious,” Mr Bennett said.
“When workers are missing, farmers and existing staff carry the load. That means longer hours, more fatigue, greater workplace safety risks and added pressure on animal care and farm productivity.
“Farmers are already carrying significant pressure. Government decisions should be helping regional businesses find workers, not making the process harder and even longer.
“The Prime Minister himself has acknowledged the importance of skilled migration to agriculture just yesterday in Western Australia. That is why this decision by Minister Burke is so difficult to understand.”
ADF is calling on Minister Burke and the Prime Minister to:
- immediately reverse Ministerial Direction 119 or amend it to restore priority processing for agricultural skilled visas; and
- expedite the processing backlog and give farmers some certainty at a time when many are questioning their continued investment in the industry.
“This may be an unintended consequence of a quick decision, but that gives all the more reason to prioritise agriculture and expedite the backlog,” Mr Bennett said.