Thursday, 3 September, 2020
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‘Crushing it’ in the finals... The Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival is in the running as a Finalist in the Australian Event Awards, a true testament to the spirit of our local communities. READ MORE, STORY PAGE 2
A ‘call to arms’ By Tania Phillips Granite Belt Growers Association president Angus Ferrier has issued a “call to arms” as they prepare for their best harvest in several years. “The Granite Belt Growers Association is in the process of planning a promotion of the job opportunities in our region this summer,” Mr Ferrier told the Free Times this week. “That will be aimed at anyone who is searching online for jobs in horticulture, be they backpackers or displaced Australian workers. “The horticulture industry is prepared to employ anyone who is prepared to have a go and it is a misconception to say we only employ foreigners.” Angus Ferrier said the horticultural industry has heard the message loud and clear from the State and Federal Governments that everyone needs to work together to support displaced Australian workers during COVID-19. “Our industry is no different - we are prepared to play our role in that,” Angus said. “It’s not true to say that there are no backpackers in Australia.
“From the latest data from the Department of Immigration there is roughly half the number of backpacker visa holders in Australia as there would normally be. “There are still plenty in the country - the question is how many of them are able and willing to work in horticulture? “If there is a proportion of them busy working in hospitality then the risk is that we will start to run short. “But there are still some in the country. “Keep in mind there are horticultural regions in northern Queensland and the Lockyer Valley for example who start to wind down in October. “So there is a regular thing every season where their workers start to head towards the Granite Belt at a certain time of the year. “While we expect that will still happen to some extent we’re just not quite sure how many are in that category this year.” The call comes in the leadup to the harvest season which starts in September/October and moves into full swing in November - and as restrictions start to tighten again due to an increase of COVID-19 and in line with a reduc-
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tion of the number of backpackers, a traditional source of harvest time staff. The Granite Belt Growers Association will aim their campaign at a general online presence, including social media components and a search engine presence with a view to driving traffic - most importantly jobseekers to the regions’ recruitment agents, accommodation providers and those farms who employ directly and are members of the Association. “The aim is to raise awareness that after years of severe drought the Granite Belt is back in business to a certain degree,” Angus Ferrier said. “There are job opportunities here this summer that have not existed for the past couple of years due to drought, and most importantly we are here providing fruit and veg to the country. “It’s almost a call to arms for people to come here and help with the harvest.” According to Angus the growers will be coming off a “low base” but the season should be a marked improvement on last year. But there is still room for rainfall this spring that will further enhance prospects - and the growers need to be able to access workers who
must be considered essential at this time. “We acknowledge the work of the State Government and the State Health Officer - at the very least we can’t begrudge them for doing their job - their sole focus must be on the health and safety of the broader Queensland community and we do respect that,” Angus said. “However our position is and always will be that horticultural workers - be they unskilled, semi skilled or specialists - should always be exempt from a hard border closure because they are serving an essential role in our community. “That’s not just about backpackers - sometimes when we have the border bubbles it doesn’t just affect our backpackers, it also affects our ability to bring in workers who have a usual residential address outside the bubble. “It threatens their ability to come to our region and do their critical work. “Our position will always be that those workers and employers should have the right to move essential workers around the Granite Belt and in some circumstances into regions immediately adjacent to the border.” Continued page 3
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