Turbulent Times: The State of Backpacking and Seasonal Farm Work in Australia

Migrants are an essential part of Australia’s agricultural workforce. They are an immense economic benefit for farming industries, while contributing to the social and cultural liveliness of regional places. The two main visa categories that do the bulk of seasonal farm work – the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) “backpacker” program, and the newly consolidated Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme (PALM) for workers from the Pacific Islands – have expanded significantly in recent years. Considered only “temporary” due to their visa status, these people live for months, sometimes years, in regional communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the cracks in Australia’s dependency on migrant workers in agriculture. Travel and visa delays, health restrictions and worry about virus outbreaks, along with the ongoing labour shortages, have resulted in a turbulent few years and significant impacts for all of those involved with facilitating and supporting migrant farm workers. While media and news continue to report major shortages of workers, fruit rotting in the fields, and farmers crying out for help, government incentives in 2022 to get migrant workers back into the regions have had limited effect. There have also been substantial shifts in social and cultural attitudes towards temporary visa holders who remained in Australia. Despite Australia’s international border fully reopening in February 2022, the return of migrant workers has been slower than anticipated, especially those on WHM visas. This report outlines preliminary findings of research on the future of seasonal farm workers in Australia. Focused on backpackers and Pacific Island workers in horticultural jobs in Queensland, insights and findings are based on 44 interviews with stakeholders across industry, government, and community who are directly involved with the facilitation of and support for migrant farm workers. The project is led by Dr Kaya Barry at Griffith University and is funded by the Australian Government through a three-year Australian ...