By CRAIG HOUGH, STRATEGY & POLICY DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN DAIRY FARMERS
Resolving workforce shortages in Australian agriculture, including the dairy sector, is a key priority for government, unions and rural industry in 2022/23.
Over 110 recommendations emerged from the Jobs and Skills Summit in September 2022. These need to be analysed and formalised into a White Paper and funded via the October 2022 Federal Budget. Priority should be given to actions that help resolve worker shortage now like providing $36.1 million in additional funding to accelerate visa processing and resolve the visa backlog.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has announced a new tripartite Agricultural Workforce Working Group. The group brings together the Australian Government, unions and employer groups to generate solutions that better skill, attract, protect and retain workers in the agriculture and processing sectors.
Through collaboration, the working group will ensure the agricultural sector benefits from announcements made at the Jobs and Skills Summit in relation to skills, migration and worker protections.
Dairy has secured a place in this milestone taskforce, alongside three other employer groups.
ADF National Council member Ann Gardiner was named representative for the dairy industry, with an alternate member yet to be nominated. This is a fantastic achievement for the Australian dairy industry.
Farm workforce shortage dominates dairy conversations
Although the working group is a crucial step in the right direction, more action is needed. The dairy industry requires immediate support and long-term planning to address the systemic worker shortage.
This issue is long-standing but has been exacerbated by the pandemic, particularly the Omicron outbreak which saw thousands of workers along the dairy supply chain having to isolate because they have caught COVID-19 or are close contacts.
The National Agriculture Workforce Strategy, which was launched last December, was welcomed by ADF as it contains 37 recommendations to modernise agriculture’s image, attract and retain workers, embrace innovation, build people’s skills, and treat workers ethically. Most of these recommendations align with the Jobs Summit recommendations. In some instances, the strategy provides a more effective option than the Summit’s proposal. For example, the strategy recommended establishment of a Workforce Data Unit to improve agriculture workforce statistics and forecasting.
Currently, significant gaps exist like with the ABS’s Job Vacancy data which reports on most sectors but not agriculture. The Jobs Summit acknowledged the issue but proposed a different solution. It recommended the establishment of an independent body called Jobs and Skills Australia to undertake this and other workforce planning tasks. A unit in the department is a preferred option because it is quicker to establish, subject to direct Ministerial oversight and is more cost-effective. It is important that the new working group considers the strategy in its deliberations. Significant work was undertaken by ADF and other agriculture groups to develop the strategy with government. We do not want to see this disregarded just because it was a former government initiative.
At an agriculture workforce roundtable chaired by Minister Watt in Brisbane back in August, I highlighted the efforts industry is taking to help address the worker crisis. The People in Dairy website provides extensive workforce information for potential and current employees and employers in the industry.
In September, Dairy Australia launched a new national marketing campaign to promote the benefits of working in dairy farming and encourage Australians to explore a job in dairy. This extension of the Dairy Matters campaign is being delivered into dairying regions across TV, YouTube, radio, social media and local newspapers. We encourage jobseekers to visit www.dairyjobsmatter.com.au for more information.
All these efforts to bring people to industry – and keep them – are vital to resolving the workforce shortage.