Springland Ag breath sigh of relief following backpacker visa backflip

Major farm contractors Charlie and Ailsa Hooper are breathing a sigh of relief as the processing of visas for overseas farm workers gears back up.

The couple, who operate Springland Ag, are expecting more than 30 seasonal staff members to start arriving this week just in time to jump on machinery that takes care of contracting work for farms all over the state – from ground preparation and seeding to hay, silage and crop harvesting. 

The decision by federal Immigration Minister Tony Burke to slow down the processing of visas that apply to backpackers and temporary farm workers was set to throw the business into chaos.

Springland Ag attracts workers from the UK, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, New Zealand and other countries, bulking out the small number of local and interstate seasonal staff required during spring, summer and autumn.

Based at Blackwood Creek near Cressy, the business has 15 core, full-time workers who need plenty of outside help to drive 30 John Deere tractors day and night.

It also has two co-owned businesses that operate under the same name, which take care of harvesting using seven harvesters, and spraying, which uses a drone plus three ground spray rigs.

Whether it’s transporting machinery, windrowing or drilling, the skills of overseas workers are essential.

While dryland hay and silage is not looking good, irrigated crops such as cereal, poppies, peas, potatoes and carrot and beetroot seed will soon be in full swing.

The Hoopers also farm 1100ha of their own land with crops and cattle.

When they heard the National Farmers’ Federation had reached a short-term agreement in late September to provide priority and fast-tracked visa processing they couldn’t have been more relieved.

“The seasonal staff are vital to the running of the business,” Charlie said.

“In years gone by overseas workers would apply and before they’d even paid for their visa the approval was granted,” he said.

“Then this time applicants were making contact with us saying their visas hadn’t come through and we started investigating. Initially we were told there was just a backlog.

“When we found out processing was deliberately being slowed we reached out to Senator Chris Gatenby and he was brilliant – between him and TasFarmers they organised to have the applicants fast-tracked.”

The Hoopers were getting worried they wouldn’t have the staff available they needed to get contracting work done in a timely manner.

In the end they were grateful a dry winter and spring had held up the season because they didn’t need workers as early as usual.

“These are not backpackers we’re employing – they are young people from farms on the other side of the world who come out here during their winter to get some more experience – they’re not after an 88-day visa, they come back year after year because they want to build their skills,” Ailsa said.

“To restrict them from coming here would have had a huge impact.

“Those who applied in August were slowed down but they are now approved and will arrive in early November.”

Springland Ag has purchased a house in Cressy and rents others from its neighbours to provide accommodation.

Mr Hooper said he was “pretty disappointed” to hear from the people who applied for a visa.

“There was no consultation and no forewarning – it’s a decision that could have had a detrimental effect on crops going in and the harvest and production over the next 18 months for thousands of hectares of crops.

“We would have been forced to put on unskilled labour and that is not good for safety or quality – it would have been terrible for our business.

“Australian agriculture needs these people, and these young people need us. If we stop them coming into Australia it will be reciprocal and our young people won’t be able to travel and do the same.”