Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 2:58:31 to 3:02:05
Debate over net overseas migration targets, backpacker numbers, and the expansion of the PALM scheme to meet harvest labor needs in the agricultural sector.
Topics: Employment, Food security
Speakers: Senator Vanessa Bleyer, Hon Anthony Chisholm, Senator Glenn Sterle, Unknown Speaker
>> Well, I could just run a quick follow up on some questions that I've already asked which will be very short. >> Sure. before Senator Colbeck and why Senator Colbeck for my final set of questions which is longer of course
>> must welcome you to the rat committee >> thank you blown out member sorry I was looking for you yesterday so welcome you're in the best committee in the parliament
>> I know I was stuck somewhere else yesterday and it was aborant compared to thank you very much. Uh, Senator Chisum, precoid, Australian food production was at about $60 billion annually and now it's about $11 billion. What a great day for Australia and the agricultural industry in this country. Froco >> to now the rate of backpackers has increased comparatively to the rate of food production. Does it continue to be your evidence that it's a good idea to drop our rates of backpackers to preco numbers and maintain food security in this
country. Uh what I talked through Senator was our aim of where we want to get to on uh the nomf figure. Uh that does have an impact on working holiday makers. Uh what I also talked through is the work that we've done around fe free TA where there's more than 20,000 people who've participated in that in agriculture courses. uh the work that we've done in the palm scheme uh to increase the number of employers uh that operate in that scheme and also the number of people coming in to work as part of that at the same time and our commitment to work with industry to ensure that we get the workers where they need to be uh for harvest time. So that is what we are doing as part of hitting that net overseas uh migration target that the government have set. Uh and we're working constructively with industry as is Minister Burke about how those settings apply.
So you're cutting the rates of backpackers to precoid levels. You're decreasing it by a percentage that that it's about that is about the same as the percentage increase of our food production and you're telling us today that that's a good idea for our farmers in this country.
>> Uh what I'm saying is that the government have set a target on the net overseas migration of what we want to do that will have an impact on You've said
idea to play politics with our farmers to drop the overseas migration rate. Is that what you're telling us today, Senator Chisholm?
>> The only one here playing politics is yourself, uh, Senator. I'm talking through and trying to answer your questions. Um a good example is around the palm scheme where uh the numbers from uh March 2020 where we had around 8,000 workers uh has now gone to over 30,000 workers and uh the majority the overwhelming majority of them are working in agriculture and the meat industry. So uh we think that there's more opportunity around palm workers as well uh to ensure that we're getting the workers uh where we need them when we
>> Sorry, I was just going to sorry. Have you finished minister? Sorry. Yeah, the the media is in the room. We'll just let you know. I know it doesn't worry any of the heads up the front here, but we'll >> make that boarding. Sorry.
>> Thank you very much. I'm concluded. Thank you, Senator Colbeck.