Cabinet rejects Nationals’ farm visa brain fart

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By Leith van Onselen

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected the National Party’s proposal to introduce a new class of visa aimed at addressing a purported shortage of farm workers. The proposal was put to Cabinet by Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, but in addition to Morrison, the scheme was opposed by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne. The Department of Agriculture will now be given several weeks to prepare a new plan to address labour shortages in the agricultural sector; it is expected to include an expansion of the existing Pacific Seasonal Workers Program. From The Australian:

Citing his experience as a former immigration minister, Mr Morrison declared the new visa class could not be delivered…

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.