Australia apparently doesn’t want backpackers anymore. Except the government seems to have forgotten exactly the kind of work these backpackers do. The Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program is changing to require a ballot entry system for second and third-year visas, with caps of 45000 and 5000, respectively.
This work isn’t exactly a “holiday” either. It’s work far away from any major city, probably a small town with one pub. It’s hard physical labour. The jobs mostly involve agriculture, livestock, and harvesting. The peak harvest season is in the height of summer, in the dry Australian heat.
One worker from the Harvest Trail Report stated, “I stand there in 35, 38 degrees. It’s warm, it’s hot. By the time you’re finished, you’re tired. People … yeah, find some of the work taxing. Physically taxing.” The backpackers aren’t exactly partying it up. I once met a French guy who’d taken a job at a pig abattoir. He literally had to slaughter pigs. Everyday. For months.
Harvest Trail also showed that employers had a strong preference for overseas workers and backpackers due to the opinion that locals ‘didn’t want to do this kind of work’ or had a ‘bad attitude’. One employer stated, “The harvest machine is totally driven by overseas workers…if we are not letting overseas workers in our country, we are stuffed.” The National Farmers Federation said around 1 in 7 farm jobs are filled by WHMs nationally and that they can supply up to 80% of peak harvest labour in fresh produce. They also support tourism and businesses in regional areas
During labour shortages during COVID, much of our food was wasted and left to rot, leading to a fresh produce price increase of 15-25%. This agricultural work is massive to our economy *and* to having our grocery stores stocked. Nothing says helping a cost-of-living crisis like having no one to harvest the crops!
With a much cheaper South-East Asia nearby where you can easily country-hop and extend visas to travel long-term, why would backpackers choose to come on an unstable visa where they have to fight in a ballot system and work on a hot, dusty rural farm in the middle of nowhere? They could be on a beach, somewhere else, sipping a cocktail without a care in the world.
So, with WHM visas being slashed, who exactly will pick the fruit?
Debbie Choo 
Bethany Miguel 
Tarkyn Sharples