Seasonal workers from Vanuatu to start work this week after quarantine, with another plane-load on way

WA’s embattled fruit and vegetable industry will get some relief from crippling labour shortages this week when more than 150 Ni-Vanuatu nationals start work on local farms. The 154 workers are due to leave the Pan Pacific hotel in Perth today after completing two weeks of quarantine. COVID-19 testing was conducted by the WA Department of Health on day two and 12 of quarantine, with all of the group testing negative. The Pacific Island nation has reported no community cases of the virus. The workers will travel to 10 farms across WA, including Gingin, Pinjarra, Myalup, Harvey, Mt Barker, Pemberton, Manjimup, Katanning and Narrogin. Myalup-based table grape producer Frutico has hired almost 60 of the group to help with its harvest, which runs from December to May. A further 162 workers from Vanuatu will touch down in Perth on Thursday and will remain in quarantine for two weeks. VegetablesWA chief executive John Shannon said the 31 women and 123 men due to leave the hotel today would provide time-critical help for businesses facing workforce challenges as a result of the COVID-19 travel restrictions. But he said the industry was still “many hundreds” of workers short and he was hopeful the success of the Ni-Vanuatu worker program would pave the way for more arrivals. Mr Shannon said some growers had been forced to leave crops to rot and vegetable growers had slashed plantings — in some instances by a third or half — because they did not expect to have the labour available for harvest. Travel and quarantine costs for the workers are being covered by employers, with most on the first two tranches of arrivals assigned to labour hire firms which then contract the workers out to local companies. WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the workers would provide timely support for farmers. “This pilot program will provide much-needed support to primary production businesses in rural and regional WA, and will provide these workers with an alternate source of income,” Ms MacTiernan said. “This pilot is in addition to the McGowan Government’s Primary Industries Workers’ Regional Travel and Support Scheme, which has been helping attract WA-based workers to fill time-critical primary industry roles in our regions.”