Key facts
- Tony Burke rejected claims that immigration rule changes will increase food prices.
- The National Farmers Federation warned of an immediate economic impact and potential inability to finish harvests due to restrictions on temporary migrants.
- Burke stated that healthcare, construction, and aged care rely on overseas workers.
- The government plans to add 100 compliance officers and 250 immigration detention beds.
- Major employers, including the Minerals Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed the reforms.
Australian Immigration Minister Tony Burke has dismissed claims from the National Farmers Federation that changes to immigration rules will lead to increased food prices for households. Burke described the government's moves to speed up processing for backpacker visas as a positive step for agriculture, emphasizing that broader cuts to overseas workers would negatively impact essential services like healthcare, construction, and aged care.
The National Farmers Federation's chief executive, Mike Guerin, had warned that restrictions on working holidaymakers and other temporary migrants would result in higher food prices and potential difficulties in completing harvests. He stated that producers are already struggling to find workers for the upcoming harvesting season, and that backpackers seeking to stay in Australia for more than a year will face new, restricted ballot systems.
Burke countered that the agriculture sector could utilize workers from the Pacific Australia labour mobility scheme and that producers have legal obligations to pay staff adequately, stating, "I don’t think consumers believe their pathway to paying less should rely on worker exploitation." He also noted that the government's plan aims to reduce demand-driven settings and provide greater government control without harming the economy.
The reforms include new compliance measures to address visa overstays, with plans to add 100 compliance officers and 250 beds for immigration detention. Burke differentiated these measures from "hardline immigration enforcement" seen in other countries. However, advocacy groups like the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and The Greens criticized the increased enforcement and detention measures, with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre founder Kon Karapanagiotidis stating it would leave Australia "smaller, meaner and more divided."
Major employer groups, including the Minerals Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed the reforms, with the latter praising the avoidance of a "damaging overcorrection." However, business groups also expressed concerns about the execution of the policy through ministerial directives. The Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, accused the government of using farmers as "whipping boys for their failure to bring down migration," and the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association warned of staff shortages due to cuts in the working holidaymaker program.