Government pause on Working Holiday visas leaves farms scrambling for harvest labour

With Australia’s grain and horticulture harvest only weeks away, growers say they are facing a critical shortfall of seasonal workers after the Department of Home Affairs quietly paused new Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa applications from 24 of the 29 eligible countries. The pause, confirmed on 14 September and still in place on 15 September, coincides with a new ministerial direction that pushes most agriculture-related visa applications to the back of the processing queue. Victorian harvest-contractor Matt Bourke, who usually hires 30 overseas workers to run heavy harvest machinery, told ABC Rural he has not received a single visa grant this season. Mango pack-houses in the Northern Territory and dairy farms in Tasmania report similar delays, forcing operators to consider cutting production, paying costly overtime or scaling back planting for next season. The National Farmers’ Federation estimates that backpackers fill roughly half of Australia’s peak-harvest roles. Citrus, berry and grain bodies warn that even a 10 per cent drop in WHM arrivals could leave produce unpicked, threaten export contracts and drive up supermarket prices. Industry groups are lobbying for an “agriculture labour carve-out” in any broader efforts to slow net overseas migration. A Home Affairs spokesperson said the pause was necessary because the number of WHM holders in Australia – more than 206,000 – is already at a historic high, and that applications “may take longer than usual.” The department added that new processing priorities favour defence, healthcare and on-shore applicants. Farmers respond that regional jobs are being de-prioritised precisely when they are most needed. The impasse has reignited calls for a dedicated Agriculture Visa or for fast-tracking Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) visas. Unless a compromise is reached within the next fortnight, growers warn Australia could see repeat scenes of 2021, when tonnes of fruit were left rotting and growers lost an estimated AU$45 million in farm-gate value.