Albanese government bringing in ‘record numbers' of Pacific labourers for agriculture

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Murray Watt says the Albanese government is bringing in “record numbers of Pacific labourers” to work on farms and meat processing sheds. Mr Watt said the government has “made clear” their priority when it comes to feeling the “workforce gaps”. He said this includes “building up the Pacific labour scheme, which we have done”. “But equally what we’re also doing is investing in locals … you will have heard a lot about the fee-free TAFE measure that our government has taken to reduce the cost of training,” Mr Watt told Sky News Australia. “There are over 10,000 agriculture courses that have been filled through those fee-free TAFE places providing locals with the kind of skills that our farmers need as well. “We’re confident that between those and other measures, we can meet the needs of our agriculture workforce.”