Subjects: Working holiday makers
EO&E..................................................
GARETH PARKER:
Working holidays, we're going after the working holiday makers. If you've been on a working holiday somewhere, I'd love to hear from you.
Federal Immigration Minister's David Coleman. David, good morning.
DAVID COLEMAN:
Morning Gareth.
GARETH PARKER:
Thank you for your time. What are we trying to do here?
DAVID COLEMAN:
Yeah, well, what we've seen Gareth is a 20 per cent increase in the number of working holiday makers that are working regional Australia, and if they do that they get a second year on their visa. And so we're particularly focusing on getting backpackers into regional Australia because, as you know, there are many issues in terms of farmers that are looking for people for picking season, harvesting, and so on. And so the number of people who have gone to regional areas and have got a second year visa has gone up by about 7000 people to 43,000. And it's part of our broader push to getting more migrants to go to regional Australia, where there are a lot of job opportunities, and take some of the population pressure particularly off Sydney and Melbourne, where population growth is [indistinct].
GARETH PARKER:
Yeah. Right. So you don't want working holiday makers to just work in the bars and pubs of Sydney and Melbourne, you want them out in the bush.
DAVID COLEMAN:
Well some do, but there's an incentive for them to go to the bush, because if they work in the city, they only get one year on their visa. If they go to the bush they can get two years, and from this year they can actually get up to three. So it's good for rural towns, as you know. Many of them are needing more people to work on farms and so on, the backpackers spend money in the shops and the restaurants, and help those regional towns to grow and help those local economies. And there are a lot of places around Australia that are crying out for more people, and so that's what this is about.
GARETH PARKER:
As you know, we do have a big problem with youth unemployment in this country. Why are those jobs not being filled by Australian young people?
DAVID COLEMAN:
Well, there's a variety of reasons and we've invested - we've got more than half a billion dollars at the moment going into money for the apprenticeship schemes and the vet sector through the Federal Government. But there'll always be some jobs, particularly around seasonal work, where you need a significant number of people for a relatively short period of time. And if the area's more remote or more difficult to get to, then it can be harder to access Australian workers. You know, that's always been the case. It's not a new thing.
GARETH PARKER:
No, it's not. I'm just always interested in the wise.
DAVID COLEMAN:
Yeah, well look, I think - as I said, there are geographical reasons, there's a range of reasons why you can't always fill every single job with a local. Obviously, whenever there's a local available, that's what the government wants and that's what business wants too because it's straightforward. But there are always going to be some occasions where that's not the case, and you know, backpackers, they come here, they spend lots of money, and they help these businesses to grow. I'm just in regional South Australia at the moment, and you know, there's a big potato farm here, and they have quite a few backpackers from France, the UK, and a range of other places. It's an important part of their business.
GARETH PARKER:
It's a pretty sort of slick ad. Have you - did you ever go on a working holiday yourself in your younger years?
DAVID COLEMAN:
I didn't actually, no. I never did that. But lots of people do. You know, Australians, we probably do it more than just about anyone in the world. And a lot of these…
GARETH PARKER:
Yeah, well, we're trying to get it back the other way.
DAVID COLEMAN:
Yeah, and a lot of these agreements are two ways. So we'll say - we'll have a certain number of people from a particular country, and then the same thing applies for young Australians to be able to go to that country.
GARETH PARKER:
Alright. David Coleman, Immigration Minister, thank you for your time.
DAVID COLEMAN:
Thanks Gareth.
[ends]
