Down the border
Ithink it is time for some politicians to come visit us, ‘down on the border’. The NSW government’s decision to tighten border restrictions on Wednesday last week was understandable in one breath, but ill-thought through in another.
We in Victoria can withstand being ostracised by other states for the sudden increase in coronavirus cases, but we can’t stand by and watch our highly valuable horticulture industries lose money hand over fist because state governments can’t come up with a simple compromise to allow essential seasonal workers to cross the border to work.
The citrus harvest is currently in full swing. The industry estimates citrus growers have lost at least a quarter of their seasonal workforce, stuck south of the border, at the cost of $1.7-million a day.
It is also the pruning season for grapes. The bulk wine grapes are mainly mechanically pruned but the smaller wine producers still rely on skilled seasonal workers, while the table grape industry is entirely reliant on highly skilled pruners. That is not to mention avocado growers on the border. And so the list goes on.
It must be easy for a health minister hundreds of kilometres away to make the decision with the stroke of a pen, but doesn’t he realise one of the largest food-producing districts of our nation is along the mighty Murray River?
Border horticulture industries are imploring seasonal workers to wait for the border restrictions imposed by the NSW government to be sorted out so they can return to work, with hopes it will be later this week. But, as head of Citrus Growers, Nathan Hancock said on Country Today: ‘Sometimes when you do something in haste, it can take a while to untangle the mess.” I spoke to a truck driver last week who was stuck at the border at Albury for four hours. He has the required permit, but the queues were kilometres long. I guess it’s out of sight, out of mind.
Even when the border closure is sorted, there is still going to be a chronic shortage of shearers. Firstly, nearly 500 shearers fly in from New Zealand around this time of year to shear around seven million of our sheep, the equivalent of two thirds of South Australia’s entire flock.
At the moment, the Kiwis can’t come into Australia, but even if they could, why would you take the risk when New Zealand is fundamentally COVID-19 free?
Shearing contractors are already cancelling work commitments due to lack of shearers. Again, if you are in NSW, why would you cross into Victoria when there is going to be plenty of work closer to home with less risk of infection? Not to mention the strict two week isolation regimes they’ll have to comply with.
Shearing Contractors Association’s Jason Letchford wants woolgrowers to plan ahead for the shortage.
“Being two or three months late this year – for shearing – people need to start to get their heads around that and start planning. If there’s staff available, they should grab them and shear now,” he said.