Seasonal workers “nothing short of absolutely critical” to Manjimup’s Newton Orchards

This week, Manjimup apple grower Nic Giblett is celebrating the arrival of 15 Tongan workers who will lend a hand to this year’s harvest. It is a milestone moment for the Newton Orchards owner, marking the first seasonal workers they have directly hired since becoming an approved employer under the Federal Government’s Seasonal Worker Program last year. “We’re very excited,” she said. But at a total cost nearing six figures, she is concerned they will not be able to afford to bring them back for next harvest. Having previously employed Tongan workers through labour hire companies, last year’s COVID-19-driven labour crisis made it “absolutely necessary” for them to bring forward plans to hire directly through the program. “They’ve become more and more critical to our business over the years,” Mrs Giblett said. “They’re... incredible, the way they work. WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the State covered the “majority” of the cost — setting up quarantine hotels, security, logistics and testing — with growers required to pay $2500 per worker for their hotel quarantine, which she said was in line with with the costs of other returning Australians. The 15 workers — who are currently in hotel quarantine — will join the Newton Orchards’ 175-strong workforce. That which includes another 22 workers from Tonga who have been on the farm since December 2019. Under the SWP, they can stay and work in Australia for up to nine months, before returning home for three and coming back the following year. But with flights, visa, administration and quarantine costs adding up to more than $90,000, Mrs Giblett said it was a cost they would not be able to afford next season. “The concern going forward is to get that crew home for three months ... so they can see their families and recuperate, and then return to Manjimup for our next harvest,” she said. “I can’t really see for commodity products, that you can keep absorbing those costs going forward ... we can’t.” “We’re dealing with the big cost of COVID-19 last season, the size of the apples is a lot smaller as there was no one to do pruning and not enough cost-effective pruners.” “And because the apples are smaller, they don’t get the same price.” “I’m not talking tens of thousands, I’m talking hundreds of thousands of cost.” “We can’t pass on any cost, consumers don’t look at a $10/kg apple and think, ‘OK I’ll buy that’. In an equitable world, everybody should be sharing this cost.” Mrs Giblett said the workers were “nothing short of absolutely critical” to their upcoming winter pruning and spring-summer thinning programs and she was grateful to the State Government for securing the flights. And with no work for them in Tonga, she said it was “really important” to support the workers, who were supporting their families and local economy back home. The next flight of seasonal workers is due to arrive on May 28, which will bring in 95 workers in to work on vineyards in Margaret River , 41 to berry farms in Gingin , 20 to table grape growers in Carnarvon and six to citrus farms in Harvey.