State spends $200k to transport pickers

A PILOT scheme to drive pickers to distant orchards will begin halfway through a challenging season.

Hobart Year 12 student Hayley Christopher said getting to and from Cherries Tasmania at Old Beach had been “a bit of an issue” and she had relied on her dad for lifts.

“It’s hard to get here,” she said.

Tasmanian fruit pickers have hard days ahead as cherry season reaches its crucial harvest, berries are abundant and apple and pear preparations begin.

Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett said since 3000 local pickers signed up late last year, the number of Tasmanian pickers was estimated to have doubled.

The minister announced more than $200,000 over two years for transporting pickers, starting with a pilot bus service in coming weeks supported by Huon Valley Council and Community Transport Tasmania for some 250 locals commuting six days a week.

“This will help Tasmanians in the South get to the fruitgrowing areas here at Old Beach and of course down into the Huon.”

Mr Barnett said beyond the pilot, permanent seasonal transport may expand to the East Coast, North, NorthWest and Derwent Valley.

Fruit Growers Tasmania CEO Peter Cornish said statewide growers were registering interest, with Costa trialling its own North-West transport system.

“It’s going to be tight this year without having almost half of our people who will normally come from overseas,” Mr Cornish said.

“Whether they’re too young to hold a licence, whether they have difficulty accessing transport, there’s a cohort of people out there that we want to give the opportunity to come and pick.”

Mr Cornish said costs and dates were not finalised.

“This is a great unknown … it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.”

Cherries Tasmania owner Nic Hansen said FGT had long viewed the pilot program as “one of those jobs we never really got to, but with COVID times it’s brought it right to the forefront”. Mr Hansen said the cool summer produced high-quality cherries and said despite overseas freight hurdles, demand from the South-East Asian export market was “quite strong”.

He said all 150 of his Old Beach pickers were Tasmanians.

Mr Cornish said 156 pickers from East Timor and Tonga were quarantining and 152 Tongan workers would arrive in Tasmania about January 22, which will bring the current 318 Seasonal Worker Program total to 626.

He said an additional fifth international flight was under consideration.

IT’S GOING TO BE TIGHT THIS YEAR WITHOUT HAVING ALMOST HALF OF OUR PEOPLE WHO WILL NORMALLY COME FROM OVERSEAS

FRUIT GROWERS TASMANIA CEO PETER CORNISH