The farming lobby’s claim that immigration rule changes will increase food prices for households is wrong, Tony Burke has said, describing moves to speed up processing of backpacker visas as a positive step for agriculture.
uncertain
Burke → increase → agriculture
Burke unveiled Labor’s long-awaited reforms at the National Press Club on Thursday, flagging that the plan was more limited than the government would like, due to a lack of support for wider legislation from the Coalition.
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government → unveil → Coalition
But the package has received mixed reviews, with business groups and the Coalition saying it did not do enough to lower net overseas migration levels, while refugee advocates said it showed migrants remained “political punching bags”.
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migrants → receive → levels
The National Farmers Federation’s chief executive, Mike Guerin, said farmers would see an immediate economic impact from restrictions on working holidaymakers and other temporary migrants.
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farmers → say → holidaymakers
He warned producers were already struggling to get workers for the harvesting season.
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producers → warn → season
Backpackers seeking to stay in Australia for more than a year will be subject to a new ballot, with places severely restricted for years two and three.
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places → seek → years
“We will see a lift in the price of food,” Guerin said.
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Guerin → see → food
“We will see emptier supermarkets ...
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We → see → supermarkets
And while it’s yet to play out directly for consumers, for people in the cities, it’s very close.
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it → ’ → cities
We will not be able to finish the harvest this year, before Christmas.”
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We → finish → Christmas
But Burke told Guardian Australia the plan was carefully formulated, reducing demand driven settings and giving the government great control, while not damaging the economy.
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plan → tell → economy
He said healthcare, construction and aged care all relied on overseas workers, and broader cuts would hurt essential services.
“The economic contribution matters in terms of services that people rely on.
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people → say → that
“The announcement we made today is about getting the processing moving again for those backpacker visas that have an obligation, if you want the extra years, to work in the regions.
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you → make → regions
That’s a significant advantage … the department getting moving on the processing of those again at a faster pace.”
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department → ’ → pace
Burke said the agriculture sector could utilise workers from the Pacific Australia labour mobility scheme, and producers had legal responsibilities to pay staff adequately.
“I don’t think consumers believe their pathway to paying less should rely on worker exploitation.”
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pathway → say → exploitation
The government’s changes include new compliance measures to deal with people overstaying their visa, but Burke said enforcement would be measured and sensible.
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enforcement → include → visa
About 100 new additional compliance officers will be added, along with 250 additional beds in immigration detention.
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officers → add → detention
Burke said the changes were not like hardline immigration enforcement in countries overseas, such as the approach used by Donald Trump’s administration.
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changes → say → administration
But the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said the planned increase in enforcement would leave Australia “smaller, meaner and more divided”.
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increase → say → Australia
“How much of its soul is the Labor party prepared to sacrifice chasing people who will never be satisfied,” founder Kon Karapanagiotidis said.
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Karapanagiotidis → prepare → people
The Greens deputy leader, Mehreen Faruqi, criticised the increased immigration detention and bar on foreign students bringing family members to Australia.
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leader → criticise → Australia
“Labor’s move to force people to choose between their family and a chance to study in Australia is soulless mimicry of One Nation tactics,” Faruqi said.
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Faruqi → force → tactics
“Pauline Hanson and her billionaire backers might as well be ghostwriting Labor’s immigration policy.”
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Hanson → ghostwrite → policy
Major employers welcomed the reforms, with the Minerals Council of Australia praising the government’s prioritisation of mining workers.
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Council → welcome → workers
Big business lobby group the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the government had avoided a damaging overcorrection and the plan would help rebuild public confidence.
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plan → say → confidence
But its chief executive, Andrew McKellar, warned its execution via ministerial directives meant policy was being held together by “the stroke of a pen”.
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policy → warn → pen
The Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, accused the government of using farmers and regional industries as “whipping boys for their failure to bring down migration”.
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leader → accuse → migration
Cuts to the working holidaymaker program would lead to staff shortages, the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief, Wes Lambert, warned.
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chief → work → shortages
“A chef, cook or hospitality manager filling a genuine shortage is valuable too,” Lambert said.
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Lambert → fill → shortage
“Australia absolutely needs a sustainable migration system.
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Australia → need → system
It must recognise where the workers are actually needed.”
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workers → recognise → ?
The Aporia
