PACIFIC PATHWAYS PLAN DELIVERS 30 WORKERS FOR TWO RIVERINA MEAT PROCESSORS
Worker shortages at two Riverina meat processors have eased with the arrival of 30 Solomon Islanders under the Pacific Pathways Plan (PPP), says Member for Riverina Michael McCormack.
Mr McCormack said Teys Australia had secured 18 workers at its Wagga Wagga plant while Junee Prime Lamb had secured 12 workers.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a damaging worker shortage in the agriculture and food processing industries and the new Pacific Pathways Plan is just one of a number of programs the Federal Government has created to meet those challenges,” Mr McCormack said.
Mr McCormack said he had taken the worker shortage concerns of Riverina employers to Canberra and worked with his Government colleagues to deliver solutions, including the PPP and the Agricultural Worker Visa.
Both new programs build on other schemes, including the Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) and the Pacific Labour Scheme, now called the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
Mr McCormack said 136 Solomon Islanders had flown into Sydney on 16 November and then travelled to Wagga Wagga, Junee, Tamworth, Dubbo, Wingham and Casino to fill critical workforce gaps in those centres.
He said the PPP allowed fully vaccinated workers from low-risk countries to travel to Australia quarantine-free.
“This is an attractive option for employers and workers, reducing costs for employers and reducing the time between the time workers arrived and when they started work,” Mr McCormack said.
The PPP applies to fully vaccinated workers from Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru so long as these countries remain free of community transmission of COVID-19.
To date, Pacific workers have had to undergo 14-day quarantine, in line with other international travellers.
Since August 2020 more than 14,000 Pacific and Timorese workers have arrived in Australia under SWP and PALM. There are currently 17,000 PALM workers in Australia helping fill critical labour shortages in agriculture, meat processing, aged care and tourism.
Mr McCormack said employers interested in participating in the PALM scheme could learn more by visiting the website www.palmscheme.gov.au.
Teys General Manager Corporate & Industry Affairs, John Langbridge, welcomed the new arrivals.
“Our business starts and ends with people, and we are proud of the diversity of our workforce at our Wagga facility and across our business,” Mr Langbridge said.
“We welcome the Solomon Island workers to Teys.
“We are committed to providing them with a new start and fresh opportunities as they contribute to both our business and to the local community of Wagga Wagga,” Mr Langbridge said.
“First and foremost, sourcing local labour is our priority. The Pacific Pathways Plan provides Teys, and other employers, with access to workers at a time of increasing labour shortages both in the meat processing industry and in some areas of regional Australia.”
Junee Prime Lamb owner Heath Newton said the new arrivals basically meant the business could keep operating at full production.
“It’s vital to the business and without these people coming from overseas we would have cut production back, which would not be good for anyone, especially the farmers,” Mr Newton said.