In the face of a chronic skill shortages in the dairy industry, Dairy Australia is pushing for widened access to the temporary 457 foreign working visa.
Employing foreign labour is pipped as the most likely short term solution for the labour shortage, while training and educating local dairy farmers and Australian-based workers is part of the long-term picture.
The National Centre for Dairy Education Australia (NCDEA) was set up in January 2006 as a resource to ‘upskill’ farmers and promote local careers in dairy.
In its National Dairy Farmer Survey, Dairy Australia found that of 59 per cent of dairy farms had tried to hire people to work between 2003 and 2008. Almost two-thirds of those say they often or always had difficulty finding the right people.
Dairy Australia manager of policy strategy Claire Miller says dairy has the capacity to grow, but the industry needs workers.
She says state and national policies are encouraging agricultural expansion to take advantage of the Asian dining room, but the workforce is not large enough for the industry to grow.
«The skill shortage we’re experiencing is actually among the barriers for dairy farmers to expand.»
Busselton dairy farmer and Australian Dairy Farmers board member Peter Evans is one of nine farmers around the country selected as an example case study to demonstrate the need for foreign workers.
He says the case must be made to boost the dairy industry and there’s also a shortage of people in the dairy industry with managerial experience.
«There certainly isn’t a pool in Western Australia, and yes, we believe there are people overseas who can fill that role.»
Dairy Australia will aim to make a submission to the Federal Government on including skilled dairy workers under the 457 visa concessions by mid-year.
Source: ABC