Australian Prime Minister credit Mok Suisse. (AP Photo)
According to the Australian newspaper, Prime Minister Credit Mosuisse (Scott Morrison) opposes the National Party`s proposal to increase agricultural labor visas. It is understood that Mosuisse has had a fierce confrontation with Agricultural minister LittlePloude (David Littleproud) in a cabinet meeting, saying the policy would harm preferential visa policies for Pacific island workers and make Australia`s key strategic relations subject to threat.
Under Cabinet instructions, Littlepraud drafted a new policy to address the shortage of agricultural labor. The new deal will expand the existing Pacific quarterly workers program (Pacific Seasonal Workers Program), to create new visa categories, allowing "backpackers (foreign workers)" working in the primary industry to extend their stay in Australia to three years. The National Party hopes the new visa category will encourage Asian workers to come to Australia.
At a cabinet meeting on Sept. 17, LittlePreod criticized the Liberal MPs for failing to understand the needs of agriculture, which was rebutted by Mr Mosuisse. Morrison mentioned his experience as an immigrant minister and announced that the new visa category would not be implemented. It is understood that diplomatic minister Payne (Marise Payne) and internal affairs minister Dutton (Peter Dutton) are also strongly opposed to the National Party`s plan. Mr. Payne warned that the National Party`s visa proposals would undermine remote labor mobility agreements that are one of the pillars of Australia`s response to China`s influence in the Pacific. Duddon worries that the new visa category will give illegal immigrants new access to Australia.
"as long as our farmers can get the right labor force in a way that respects our relations with the Pacific island countries, I don`t care what the mechanism is," Littlepraud told the Australian newspaper on September 24. The next morning, financial minister Coleman (Mathias Cormann) said Australia`s government had focused on maintaining strong ties with its Pacific neighbours. He said he would not discuss cabinet views. Coleman points to the popularity of the Pacific Quarterly Workers Program. "We are also well aware of the need for more workers in the agricultural industry as a whole."
National leader McCormack (Michael McCormack) has been criticised by the party as "misleading" after he was accused of failing to disclose government`s concerns about the new visa category to his colleagues.
The Ministry of Agriculture is now being asked to submit new proposals to the Cabinet within three weeks, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of the Interior. The new proposal will consider measures to prevent the exploitation of workers and ensure that foreign workers do not affect Australian job seekers.
