When it comes to immigration policies impacting Australia's productive sector, the stakes couldn't be higher. With the Coalition’s soon to be released full immigration policy open on his desk., Senator Jonathon Duniam, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, reveals the urgent challenges posed by the recent freeze on the 417 Working Holiday Maker ("backpacker") visa program, and what needs to be done to fix it.As harvest fast approaches, farmers across the nation are left wondering: will the government act swiftly enough to process pending applications and secure the workforce they desperately need? Labor is playing the numbers with NOM. One Nation says "just say no". Listen to this fulsome discussion with Senator Duniam, for early insights into where the Coalition immigration settings might land.Sen Duniam wants the automatic processing of $840 applications flicked back on, while the UK stream can stay tighter because those numbers went to the cities, not the paddock.Also in this episode: - is NOM is the wrong metric for backpackers who live in farm quarters?- Labor’s second and third year ballots - will the fee come back if you are not drawn?- future support for a dedicated broadacre visa.- dealing with the productivity versus politics challenge.- and why he once threatened to cross the floor on the backpacker tax.Chapters:00:06 — A Labor family, a Liberal senator, and a note in a box02:18 — They turned the tap off. Harvest is three weeks away06:05 — Cities want fewer people. The regions want skilled workers13:10 — Cut numbers without cutting productivity19:26 — Is NOM the wrong number?25:50 — A broadacre visa, then life after CanberraJoin us ON WAFarmers as we explore these pressing issues that affect not just the farming sector, but the entire Australian economy.Produced for and on behalf of WAFarmers by Mic Fels (2026 Vice President).🌾 BECOME A WAFARMERS MEMBER:Join the voice of Western Australian agriculture and access exclusive representation, advocacy, and member benefits.👉 https://members.wafarmers.org.au/auth/register💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION:How are you affected by the current migration problem? Let us know in the comments below, and inour socials @WAFarmers !👍 Don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the Notification Bell so you never miss an episode of ON WAFarmers.

Filmed at the beautiful Esperance foreshore with a wheat ship loading in the background, Mic chats with Australia's favourite ag bromance - aka AgWatchers (Andrew Whitelaw and Matt Dalgleish) - for an entertaining, no-nonsense look at Australian and global ag markets. From grain marketing strategies and livestock trends to navigating input costs with current global disruption, this episode is a great mix of their unmistakeable wry humour and gripping insights into ag markets.Find out if Matt and Andrew finally answered the big question: why hasn't haggis taken off in Australia, but Crocs did?------Produced for and on behalf of WAFarmers by Mic Fels (2026 Vice President).🌾 BECOME A WAFARMERS MEMBER:Join the voice of Western Australian agriculture and access exclusive representation, advocacy, and member benefits.👉 https://members.wafarmers.org.au/auth/register💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION:What’s your take on current grain and livestock market movements? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and follow our socials @WAFarmers !👍 Like, Subscribe, and hit the Notification Bell so you never miss an episode of ON WAFarmers.

From a freezing Hyden sunrise with the birds coming alive in the background, Hugo and Marianne Bombara join WAFarmers VP Mic Fels to talk Moroccan ambassadors and live-export futures, starting out farming on $1,200-an-acre Boyup Brook blue gum country, science-backed silent sheep yards, AI that codes your Xero bills, and why advocacy stands or falls on communication and trust.

Hugo talks about how a live-sheep delegation to drought-hit Morocco turned into a diplomatic relationship with the Moroccan ambassador… and now phosphate supply conversations. His vision of how live export might still have a lean, on-farm-quarantine future, even if the old model is gone.

Marianne talks about skipping the big-tractor step and going straight to autonomous, and how she is now dropping three-page supplier PDFs into AI and getting them coded for Xero categories in seconds. And why the compliance burden in farm businesses still falls so heavily on women.

Coming later to farming as a career and a life, Hugo and Marianne discuss what WAFarmers needs to do about declining farmer numbers through pure communication, leveraging its hard earned reputation, and trust.

These are the conversations farmers are actually having around the kitchen table, in the ute - and watching the sun rise over Hyden before breaky, on a cold morning in July!

Listening to this episode feels like being immersed right there in the heart of the wheatbelt yourself.

Chapters:

0:00 Morocco, live export and a leaner model

8:35 Yards built from a clean slate

15:45 Valuer and teacher to farmers

17:22 $1,200 an acre in Boyup Brook

25:44 Autonomous gear and AI in the office

34:05 Compliance, women and WAFarmers

Produced for and on behalf of WAFarmers by Mic Fels (2026 Vice President).

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend, and give it a like (and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!) — it helps get these conversations in front of more farmers, voters and policy makers who need to hear them.

Drop a comment below, or follow us on our socials @WAFarmers with your thoughts, and subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.

If you value what we do, support us by joining WAFarmers now: https://members.wafarmers.org.au/auth/register

In this special Episode 3 of ON WAFarmers, host Mic Fels is joined by WAFarmers CEO Trevor Whittington and recruitment specialist Ley Webster from 2WorkInOz to unpack the Federal Government’s sudden throttling of Working Holiday Maker (417) visa processing — announced just as Western Australia’s $10 billion grain crop heads towards harvest.

Trevor explains the politics behind the decision, the real numbers on backpackers versus net migration, why Pacific Island workers can’t simply replace skilled European and Canadian machine operators, and why the housing argument doesn’t stack up for regional farm workers.

Looking to the future, Trevor makes the clear case for a dedicated agricultural visa that actually matches the skills and accommodation reality of broadacre farming.

Ley Webster then joins Mic to detail what’s happening on the ground right now: visa applications were cleared in seconds or days are now still unresponded after 6–7 weeks, skilled operators who have already quit jobs and booked flights are in limbo, and her practical proposal to escalate processing for anyone with a confirmed harvest job offer and employer letter.

With only a handful of Australian applicants among 60 skilled CVs on her desk, the shortage is real — and the safety and productivity stakes are high.

This is the conversation every farmer and regional employer needs to have before the WA harvest starts in six weeks - and counting.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 Interview: CEO Trevor Whittington

01.00 Federal Government’s Immigration Slowdown

02:00 What’s Happening with Working Holiday Maker Visas?

03:00 Working Holiday Visas Explained

04:00 The Real Numbers: Working Holiday Makers in Australia

06:00 Net Migration vs Backpackers: The Real Story

07:00 Government Targeting Farmers, Not Universities

08:00 Housing Crisis: The Backpacker Red Herring

10:00 City vs Country: The Immigration Divide

11:00 Cost of Living & Food Security at Risk

12:00 The Case for a Dedicated Ag Visa

13:00 $10 Billion Crop at Risk

14:00 Different Skill Sets, Different Needs

16:00 Interview: Ley Webster, Recruitment Agent

18:00 417 Visa Throttling: What’s Actually Happening

20:00 Visa Processing Delays: 6–7 Weeks and Counting

21:00 Ley’s Proposal: Expedited Processing for Critical Farm Workers

24:00 Only 4 Australians in 60 CVs

25:00 COVID Parallels & Safety Concerns

27:00 A Win-Win for Skilled Workers

28:00 What To Do Next

If you value what we do, support us by joining WAFarmers now: https://members.wafarmers.org.au/auth/register

Produced for and on behalf of WAFarmers by Mic Fels (2026 Vice President).

If you found this episode useful, please share it with a friend and give it a like — it helps get these conversations in front of more farmers, voters and policy makers who need to hear them.

Drop a comment below or follow us on our socials @WAFarmers with your thoughts, and subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes. There’s plenty more knowledge to unpack.

In Episode2 of the On WA Farmers Podcast, WA Farmers CEO Trevor Whittington and Vice President Mic Fels dive deep into one of the most pressing issues facing Australian agriculture and the broader economy — fuel security.

From the Prime Minister's $4 million refinery announcement to the real difference between biodiesel and renewable diesel, Trevor breaks down what the headlines are missing and what it actually means for farmers on the ground. The conversation covers Australia's dangerously low fuel reserves, the barriers to domestic refining, and why mandated biofuels could end up hitting farmers twice — once at the bowser and again through higher input costs.

Mic and Trevor also tackle standalone power systems on farms, looming biofuel tank regulations that could force costly upgrades, and why joining an agricultural advocacy group has never been more important.

The second half of the episode turns to sustainability frameworks, with Trevor offering a frank critique of GRDC's recently commissioned reports. Are these frameworks solving real market problems — or laying the groundwork for future regulation? With Australian grain already world-renowned for quality, the case is made that our industry's track record speaks for itself, and that growers deserve a direct say in how their levy dollars are spent.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 ONWAFarmers Episode 2 with Mic and Trevor

00:42 PM's $4M Refinery Announcement: is it real?

01:37 Biodiesel vs Renewable Diesel Explained

04:16 Canola-to-Diesel: The Numbers!

07:00 Australia's Fuel Reserves Crisis

07:36 Fracking Bans & Crude Supply

08:53 Strait of Hormuz & the Harvest Risk

10:31 Could a New Refinery Actually Work?

11:07 Sustainable Aviation Fuel & EVs

13:16 Farm Power: Standalone Systems

15:39 New Biofuel Tank Regulations: will your tanks be compliant?

17:15 Why Advocacy Groups Matter

21:48 Free Markets vs Protectionism

22:58 Food & Manufacturing Security Debate

26:08 National Resilience & Skills Base

29:21 What Does Sustainability Actually Mean?

29:58 GRDC's Sustainability Reports: do we need another one?

35:31 What is "Social License" & Live Export Ban

41:21 Australian Grain's Global Reputation

43:22 Dairy Collapse & WA Food Security

47:44 GRDC Governance & Levy Reform

52:58 Growers Need a Vote

54:20 Wrap-Up & Coming Episodes

If you found this episode useful, please give it a like — it helps get these conversations in front of more farmers, voters and policy makers who need to hear them.

If you value what we do, support us by joining WAFarmers now: https://members.wafarmers.org.au/auth/register

Produced for and on behalf of WAFarmers by Mic Fels (2026 Vice President).

Drop a comment below with your thoughts, or even better follow us on our socials @WAFarmers, and subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. There's plenty more knowledge to unpack.

ON WAFarmers in our very first episode, WA Farmers CEO Trevor Whittington joins with VP Mic Fels to discuss the recent Pauline Hanson breakfast and what her One Nation party's ascendancy means for Western Australian farmers, as well as the rapid development of Chinese manufacturing of tractors and its potential impact on local agriculture.

01:00 Pauline Hanson Breakfast

29:40 Chinese Tractors discussion

ON WA Farmers Podcast – Episode 1

If you value what we do, support us by joining WAFarmers now: https://members.wafarmers.org.au/auth/register

Produced for and on behalf of WAFarmers by Mic Fels (2026 Vice President).

If you found this episode interesting, please like the video and subscribe for more episodes from WAFarmers.

What topics would you like us to cover next? Let us know in the chat, or follow us on our socials and be part of the conversation!