The proposal to bring in people from the Pacific Island countries to pick fruit and help with agricultural crops may have made sense twelve months ago - but it is not appropriate in the present economic climate.
The global meltdown may be partially averted by that recently approved injection of funds in the United States, but there is no doubt that our economy will take a hit - and we will see a sharp rise in unemployment.
It makes no sense to bring in guest workers when we have a pool of Australian citizens on the dole and looking for work.
We already have a shortage of rental accommodation. Guest workers need somewhere to live and such an influx will only exacerbate a difficult situation. There is also the problem of those who will use the programme as a stepping stone to permanent residence - and melt into the existing army of illegal migrants.
In the past the agricultural labour shortage has been caused by the reluctance of the unemployed to travel to where work is available, and in some cases to undertake that kind of work.
Getting crops picked and to market is essential to maintain the national food supply and the government must insist that our unemployed abide by the rules governing the dole.
Perhaps the rules need to be changed to provide an additional supplement to those who travel away from home for seasonal jobs. They face stress trying to maintain their existing family - and at the same time maintain themselves in an unfamiliar location.
A supplementary allowance could ease this situation and make country jobs more attractive. It would certainly be cheaper than the cost of bringing in and maintaining guest workers - and the additional cost of enforcing departure of those who overstay their visas !
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