North West Central MLA Merome Beard concerned for regional workforce amid Federal review of holiday visas

North West Central MP Merome Beard has voiced concerns for regional workforces after the review into Australia’s migration system suggested reducing working holiday-maker visas to one year. The review was orchestrated by Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, and completed by a three-person panel in December, with a report detailing the findings released in March. The report stated the country should “restore the working holiday-maker program to its original intention”. The WHM program includes incentives for participants who undertake regional work by providing access to a second or third year in Australia. Ms Beard explained the cohort of backpackers using the WHM visa were critically important to her electorate, and if changes were made to remove the need to work in regional areas to gain extra time on their visa, the flow-on impacts on local business could be catastrophic. There are 137,000 working holiday visas held in Australia, making up 80 per cent of the harvest horticulture workforce and filling key roles in regional economies. “The backpacker visa is critically important to all parts of the electorate and if changes are made to remove the need to work in regional areas to gain the extra time on this visa, the flow-on impacts on local businesses across industries such as agriculture, tourism and hospitality, could be catastrophic,” Ms Beard said. Ms Beard added the Albanese Government’s response to the migration review, and the WHM program would be a test of its understanding of the regions, with community respect already slim after the abolition of the agriculture visa. Ms Beard said she had invited Ms O’Neil to meet her and discuss this issue but had not received a response.