Labor defends agricultural visa scheme as farmers brace for minimum wage rise

Coalition says proposal would reduce workforce but opposition insists only changes are to source country of recruited workers

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Labor has defended its plan to replace the agriculture visa announced by the federal government last year and offer more incentives to farm workers from the Pacific.

Labor announced on Tuesday it would create a dedicated agriculture visa stream under the established Palm (Pacific Australia Labor Mobility) scheme, effectively replacing the Coalition’s new visa for forestry, fishery, and farm workers targeting workers from south-east Asia.

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from World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/8shbESg