- 150 farm workers leave COVID-19 quarantine today
- First group of Tonga workers arrive in WA since September Government Restart Programme began
- 9-month stay to assist the citrus, apple and avocado growing industries in regional WA
The latest group of much needed seasonal workers from the Pacific island of Tonga have departed COVID-19 quarantine today.
The 14-day quarantine stay in a Perth CBD hotel, exclusively assigned to support seasonal workers, has been completed without issue and the workers have now departed to regional areas to begin their work on horticultural farms.
While backpacker numbers have decreased enormously due to the international border closure, seasonal workers from the Pacific islands continues to fill a huge hole in our agricultural workforce.
vegetablesWA president Damir Kuzmicich said he was pleased to see another cohort of farm workers complete their quarantine period to ensure the safe passage of an important workforce into key growing regions.
“This is the fifth successful flight into the state since the Government Restart in September last year, bringing in now 779 workers from Vanuatu, Fiji and now Tonga across the Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme,” Mr Kuzmicich said.
“We are expecting confirmation for three more flights over June and July to supplement these numbers from Tonga and allow growers to grow and harvest their crops with confidence.”
More information:
Workers from this Tonga flight will travel to the following regions:
• 25 workers to Pemberton to assist with avocado harvesting
• 110 workers to Moora to support the citrus industry
• 15 workers to Manjimup to support the apple industry
Interested in getting seasonal workers onto your farm?
Contact Kit Sainsbury
M: 0477 477 044
M: kit.sainsbury@vegetableswa.com.au
Media contacts:
Damir Kuzmicich, vegetablesWA president
0408 910 761
Amber Atkinson, vegetablesWA communications and policy officer
08 9486 7515 / 0438 123 562