Harvesting The Crops !

In the distant past backpackers from Europe and North America flocked to Australia during summer and autumn and found casual work bringing in the crops. Different crops ripened at different times of the year and this enabled young travellers to travel widely and enjoy a holiday at the same time fruit picking work augmented their budgets.

It was a mutually beneficial experience.  There were simply not enough available people in country areas to bring in the crops without this iterant  help and farmers lamented that without it the crops would not get picked.  Visitors were encouraged because fruit picking was a legitimate reason for visa extensions to be granted beyond the applicable limits.

That was before the coronavirus put this nation in isolation and there is every reason to think that it will still be making its presence felt when summer rolls around again.  Not only does cheap air travel seem to be a thing of the past, visitors from areas where the virus is rampant are required to spend time in quarantine before they begin their holidays.   The tourist trade has slowed to a mere trickle ands it is doubtful that we will see many backpackers arriving here in the near future.

That could be a disaster for the Australian farm industry.  The industry freely admits that backpackers provided the main labour in past seasons and that contribution is essential to moving the crops from the trees to the shops and the factories where it is processed.  Without fruit pickers, we face crop failures.

It is also a fact of life that we expect a huge job shortage when commerce starts to recover from the lockdown and this will be specially heavy amongst those finishing school and those looking for their first job. It is probably not the type of work most envisage but bringing in the crops is a national emergency and young people must be encouraged to think outside the nine dots and seek a living where opportunity offers.

There is no reason why a fit and healthy young person can not make a good living fruit picking. The pay depends on the quantity pickled and the work requires the pickers to move from farm to farm and from crop to crop as the work progresses.  Pickers need to make their own living arrangements, but most farms provide at least basic shelter and backpackers usually have a van as a mobile home.

This is an opportunity for young Australians to broaden their horizons and gain a new experience, and at the same time deliver a national service. But there is a need to weed out a degree of corruption that has entered the industry.  Shady hire firms have emerged that recruit pickers and negotiate with farmers to pick entire crops, but the rate they offer pickers is sub standard and the benefits they claim to provide are illusionary.

One of the tricks they use is to offer high pay on an elevated daily pick quota that is impractical.  When the actual count runs short, the pay dwindles accordingly.  It is up to the farmers to ensure that  fruit picking delivers a fair days pay for a fair days work.

This coronavirus has created a new Australian work scene.  Traditional jobs in the city may be scarce but this opens new opportunities for those prepared to travel to where the work is offering - and embrace a new experience.