Seasonal workers picking up jobs

TASMANIAN fruit growers are confident they will have enough backpackers to help with the coming harvest season despite last year’s tax debacle.

Fruit Growers Tasmania business development manager Phil Pyke said growers had been spared fallout from the tax farce that threatened to cull the numbers of backpackers looking to work picking fruit.

From the beginning of this year, the Federal Government introduced a tax rate of 15 per cent on those on working holiday visas, following a debate that raged most of last year.

Farmers, many of whom rely on backpackers for seasonal labour, had feared the original proposed tax rate of 32.5 per cent would put travellers off coming to Australia.

The grower body says the fears have been put to rest.

“It’s not affecting numbers at this stage, it appears our local growers are quite OK for numbers,” Mr Pyke said.

“It’s estimated about 6500 backpackers are required during harvest season.”

But Mr Pyke said the Federal Government’s seasonal worker program incentive trial had struggled to attract workers, with only a dismal 30 people on the program nationally. Tasmania, with 28 per cent, has the highest participation rate, with eight people on the trial.

The two-year trial allows people receiving Newstart or Youth Allowance for at least three months to earn up to $5000 doing harvest work without the income affecting their Centrelink payments.

While securing Australian workers is proving difficult, the seasonal worker program for Pacific Islanders is attracting workers form Vanuatu and East Timor to Tasmania.

The program addresses farm labour shortages by bringing Pacific Islanders to Australia on temporary work visas.