A FORTNIGHT after the State government announced skilled workers would be allowed into Western Australia under new exemption criteria, the agricultural industry still has no idea what roles are included and what the potential quarantine opportunities might be.
Premier Mark McGowan announced on January 20 that the hard border would not be coming down on February 5 as promised, throwing plans to bring workers from interstate and overseas into WA from that date into disarray.
It was then announced that workers with 'specialist skills' would be allowed in, subject to being triple vaccinated and quarantining for two weeks on arrival.
However, the State government has not provided a list of what agricultural skills meet that requirement and has no plans to do so, instead simply encouraging industry to make an application and wait for its assessment.
Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan said industry can make applications to bring in workers with specialist skills that are not otherwise reasonably available in WA.
"Those approved specialist workers will need to quarantine for 14 days at a suitable premise - which may include onfarm, if the farm has premises at which workers can safely isolate, and subject to the latest health advice," Ms MacTiernan said
"Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis and our primary interest is to continue to protect the WA community and limit the spread of Omicron."
WAFarmers grains section president Mic Fels said he felt like a broken record asking for clarity and it was clearly not going to happen.
"That is not how this government works - their modus operandi is to use broad language and then it's case-by-case subject to assessment," Mr Fels said.
"However, what's wrong with ambiguous or broad definitions is that it all comes down to the person who is assessing the applications understanding or interpretation of it."
"We've made ourselves the least desirable destination in the world to go and get a job - why would people want to come to WA when they can effortlessly get into other States that don't have the same restrictions that we have?"
Outback Beef founder and Yarrie Station owner Annabelle Coppin said there weren't enough people in the State to be able to carry out vital activities, so we can all have food on our plates.
"It is very clear that we need people from interstate and overseas, as well as locally, to come in and help us - we need the three-legged approach," Ms Coppin said.
"We all planned to be able to get them in straight after February 5 to be able to operate for this coming muster and I have people ready to leave interstate now."
Along with wanting clarity about who will be allowed in under the skilled workers remit, industry also wants further clarification over self-isolation options and what is considered a suitable premise.
WAFarmers president John Hassell said they want workers from overseas, particularly skilled machinery operators from the northern hemisphere, to be able to fly directly into WA and quarantine onfarm the whole time.
"At the moment, people from overseas can fly into Sydney, jump on a separate plane there and come into WA and be allowed to quarantine at home for the two weeks," Mr Hassell said.
"Whereas if they fly straight into Perth they have to go into hotel quarantine for a week first and that doesn't make sense.
"So we want them to be able to come straight to the farm but we also want them to be able to isolate on a tractor and keep working in isolation from everyone else, in order to keep things rolling."
With seeding around the corner, the need to keep the ball rolling onfarm is at an all time high, especially given the time-critical nature of getting the crop in the ground in a timely manner, without which there is a massive potential for loss.
Without access to the workers required, and that were lined up for February 5, farmers will inevitably end up working far too many hours, as they did over harvest.
For Haydn Sale and his wife Jane, the general managers of the Argyle Cattle Company, Yougawalla Pastoral Company and Mandora Cattle Company, muster is set to start in late March-April and about 70-80 per cent of their seasonal workforce usually comes from the Eastern States.
They have about 20 positions to fill and a further 10 employees, who were not allowed into the State.
"We were told the borders would open on February 5, which has since been reneged on, leaving us in absolute no man's land," Mr Sale said.
"We aren't able to give people direction as to when they can come and work in WA and how they can get in."
Mr Sale said his main issue was getting people into WA through Kunnunnura and onto the station.
He said at the moment (as of Tuesday when Farm Weekly went to print) people were required to quarantine in Perth for two weeks, before they were allowed to return to the Kimberley.
"We are applying for exemptions to get permanent staff back, who have been away," he said.
"The bigger picture is we just can't attract staff because we can't give people any clear indication of how they can actually get into the State without going through Perth for some ridiculous quarantine."
Ms Coppin said the State government needed to provide support for a clear plan to the agricultural industry.
She said the industry would support a solid practical system that the government needed "to feel comfortable with their end".
"We need to be able to get people in now," she said.
"We are resourceful and respect certain conditions the government may need to carry out, such as clear quarantine of people as they arrive on-property.
"We will, of course, do it right and well but we can't just keep going on not having people and not knowing when and or the process - it's madness."
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