MEDIA RELEASE - Overseas workforce a necessity in the region
May 2015
Shire President Wade DeCampo is expressing concern regarding the reputation of Australia as a working holiday destination for overseas travellers, and the exploitation of this itinerant workforce, following a scathing report on ABC's Four Corners on Monday evening.
The report alleged that migrant workers who enter Australia on a 417 working holiday visa, which allows them to travel and work for up to six months in one location performing low-skilled jobs such as fruit and vegetable picking, are being taken advantage of by farms and factories across Australia for cheap labour.
"One issue that has been identified is around labour-hire contractors who "sell" groups of workers to producers at a rate lower than the award," explained Cr DeCampo, who is glad that the situation has been identified. Cr DeCampo emphasised that these arrangements and similar situations that misuse this sector of the labour market should not be accepted in our community.
"This region and several others across Australia rely heavily on the working holiday makers, especially during harvest time, and it is sickening to think that they are being exploited like this," added Cr DeCampo.
In the Four Corners report, it was alleged that farmers and suppliers are constantly under pressure to supply a 'cheaper' product, almost forcing them to cut costs in other areas such as labour hire. "This type of pressure, and the fact that some producers take advantage of the international workforce, makes the honourable operators less viable by the very fact that they want to do the right thing," said Cr DeCampo.
"This is a major issue for Australia and its cropping future, as well as the future of downstream processing. Measures need to be taken by the federal government to ensure that the travelling workforce are treated and paid according to the law, that is, equal to all Australians," said Cr DeCampo
"It is detrimental to farmers across Australia, amongst other industries, to be branded as corrupt when the majority of employers of low-skilled labour are ethical. Australia has earned a reputation for being a fair country to work in which is what brings these people here - everybody in the supply chain plays a part in upholding that reputation."
Click here to view the ABC article online.
-ENDS-
Authorised by Andrew Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, Shire of Manjimup.
Contact: 9771 7777
Contact Gina Nieuwendyk, Public Relations Officer, Shire of Manjimup
Contact: 9771 7777
Contact for comment: Wade DeCampo, Shire President.
