Overview of the Disallowable Legislative Instrument
The Migration Amendment (Australian Agriculture Workers) Regulations 2021 (the AAW Regulations) amend the Migration Regulations 1994 (the Migration Regulations) to support the Government’s objective to fill labour shortages in primary industry sectors.
COVID-19 has impacted Australia’s agriculture sector by limiting the supply of overseas workers, while COVID-19 related travel restrictions and practical difficulties have impeded international and domestic movement. The departure of temporary migrants has placed further pressure on the supply of low and semi-skilled workers, in particular, seasonal workers in primary industry sectors.
Despite temporary measures introduced to encourage Australian workers and temporary visa holders to relocate and take up work in the agriculture sector, the Government continues to receive reports of growers unable to harvest crops due to labour shortages. The Australian Agriculture Worker (AAW) Program will provide the agriculture sector with a wider pool of workers to draw from where Australian workers and workers available through Pacific labour mobility schemes are not sufficient to meet primary industry labour needs in Australia.
Source: Migration-Amendment-Australian-Agriculture-Workers-Regulations-2021.pdf
and Migration-Amendment-Aus-Ag-Worker-Regs-2021-Explanatory-Statement.pdf