Where the bloody hell are ya? Farmers cry out for backpackers

Skilled migrants are returning to Western Australia but farmers say they’re still not getting enough backpackers to ease labour shortages.

There were 4,380 skilled work visas granted for WA in the first seven months of the year.

The figure looks to be on par with 2019, when 7,646 visa holders were approved throughout the year.

Workers from India, the Philippines and the United Kingdom are the state’s leading visa holders.

The most popular occupations are cooks, mechanical engineer technicians and general practitoners.

The Department of Home Affairs did not release the number of working holiday visas issued — which mostly includes backpackers who are used for farm work.

Farmers fear not enough is being done to lure backpackers to Australia.

More needed for pruning season

Wine producers are desperate for backpackers to help with bottling and pruning season, but getting overseas workers to commit has been patchy for some vineyard owners.

Alkoomi Wines marketing and logistics head Laura Penniment said she was concerned at the lack of workers expressing interest in rolling up their sleeves at her family’s Franklin River business, 120 kilometres north-west of Albany.

She said she had six backpackers working on the estate, but some were soon due to leave.

Ms Penniment said finding replacements was challenging.

“We’ve had two enquiries, but they have fallen through and we’ve been advertising for a month,” she said.

“It means the rest of our staff have to rotate around and work longer and harder and certain jobs won’t get done.

“It’s a big issue, at the moment you just have to take who you can get.”

She said farm work was a rewarding gig and people were paid “pretty good money”.

Ms Penniment said expensive flights and an unpredictable COVID climate could be deterring potential workers.

She said she would consider employing anyone — regardless of age.

“It is quite physical; it doesn’t really matter who’s doing the job as long as they’re physically able,” she said.

Meanwhile, the state government’s recent skills criteria expansion has left farmers angry that more primary industry workers were not included on the list.

Ms Penniment said farmers could feel forgotten by governments when decisions that directly affected them were made.

French backpacker Florent Verdru said it was easy to find farm work on a working tourist visa in Australia.

He said WA was an attractive destination and on the bucket lists of many young French people.

Mr Verdu arrived in Australia before the borders closed in 2020 and said he was only now starting to see backpackers trickle in.

Hostel at 25 per cent capacity

Duke of Albany Lodge manager Cassandra James said people between the ages of 20 and 35 had recently arrived from countries such as Spain, China, Czech Republic and Germany.

But despite the new arrivals, the hostel was only at 25 per cent capacity.

Ms James believed the cold weather in the Great Southern could be deterring backpackers.

“People tend to go up north in winter months, so it’s not really too busy here,” she said.

“I think we do need to get a lot more people down (to the region).”

Ms James said a continued lack of backpackers would push her and her sister out of business.

“Honestly, we won’t be open for much longer [if this continues] … as a local business that’s not part of a chain, we don’t have help,” she said.

MP says older workers can help

O’Connor MP Rick Wilson said backpackers and young people were not the only potential source of labour.

Mr O’Connor said the Coalition had a policy to allow veterans and pensioners to work part-time without losing their pension.

“The Great Southern region and my electorate generally has no shortage of skilled and motivated pensioners and veterans who are keen to work on a part-time or casual basis but are being stymied from doing so,” he said.

Mr Wilson also said the Liberals had led calls for Premier Mark McGowan to end COVID state of emergency, something he described as “well past its use-by-date”.

“Travel-related and other restrictions under the state of emergency continue to act as a disincentive for backpackers to visit WA,” he said.

“Lifting the state of emergency immediately would send a strong message that WA is open to travellers and open for business.”