Michael is joined by Tony Mahar, National Farmers’ Federation Chief Executive Officer, regarding the current struggle finding enough willing workers to pick bumper crops following this year’s decent rainfall.

It’s been reported that while Australia’s unemployment rate is at its lowest level in more than two decades, farmers are struggling to find enough willing hands to harvest their crops.

The National Farmers’ Federation hopes Australians who lost their jobs because of the pandemic will seize the opportunity but Jobkeeper and Jobseeker welfare payments have complicated the matter further.

“It’s no surprise that they would think about that before going to apply for other jobs. Having said that, the government needed to put those things in place.”

A parliamentary inquiry has recommended that the government allow people on un­employment benefits to harvest crops without their payments being deducted.

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