17 September 2026
NSW Farmers has warned the Federal Government risks solving one visa problem only to create another for Australian agriculture.
NSW Farmers President Rebecca Reardon said the decision to include agriculture and fisheries as priorities for skilled visa processing was important, but proposed changes to the Working Holiday Maker program, including caps and a ballot for second and third-year visas, raised serious concerns for farmers across NSW who rely on seasonal workers.
"Prioritising agriculture and fisheries for skilled visa processing is a welcome recognition of the workforce pressures facing our sector, and it is something industry has been asking for," Ms Reardon said.
"However, farmers need certainty across the entire visa system, and today's announcement does not provide an immediate solution to the uncertainty facing farmers as they prepare for the upcoming harvest.
"Three months for processing time of WHM visa applications is far too long, prior to this delay, some applications were processed and approved within days. Farmers and industry have been pushed around by these delays over the past few weeks, with businesses left carrying the uncertainty and consequences of a problem they did not create.
"Farmers have spent months planning for the upcoming harvest, including making arrangements with workers from overseas. They now have no certainty whether those workers will be able to arrive in time.
"The Government must fix this. Simply 'stabilising' processing times is not enough. It needs to expedite processing, clear the backlog and restore the timely visa decisions farmers were relying on before the delays occurred.
"If a worker can provide a supporting letter from an employer demonstrating that arrangements are already in place for legitimate regional or seasonal work, there should be a pathway to have that application processed promptly.
"It makes little sense to leave farmers waiting for workers they have already recruited when crops are ready to be harvested and those jobs need to be filled."
NSW Farmers also has serious concerns about the proposed ballot system for second and third-year WHM visas, with Ms Reardon questioning whether its impact on regional Australia had been adequately assessed.
"Before putting a cap on a workforce pathway that regional and seasonal industries rely upon, the government needs to demonstrate that it understands what this will mean on the ground," Ms Reardon said.
"NSW Farmers, is part of a coalition of industry bodies in agriculture and tourism, that is calling on the Department to provide an urgent briefing so industry can fully understand the implications of these changes.
"Farmers need and deserve a visa system that is reliable, responsive and allows them to plan with confidence.
"Today's announcement from the Federal Government does very little to address the uncertainty that continues to undermine workforce planning across the agriculture sector."
