Visa lottery puts regional Australian farms and pubs at risk
The federal government is limiting second and third-year working holiday visa extensions. It uses a lottery system. This affects regional businesses.
In Manjimup, southern Western Australia, 290 kilometres south of Perth, the impact is immediate. At Paul Fowler's country pub, more than half a dozen backpackers work there.
They make up over 70 per cent of his workforce. He hires 50 to 80 backpackers a year.
He cannot run the pub without them. Italian farmhand Roberto Spadotto finished his farm work.
He got a visa extension. He then managed Fowler's pub with his partner Giulia Colombo.
He met her picking broccoli. The couple planned to settle and build a life in Australia.
But uncertainty is now pushing backpackers elsewhere. Chef Valerie Casto said the changes were turning her friends away.
"Half a year of a farm job can be very hard," she said. "Some people don't know if it's worth it if the visa is not granted."
Truffle farmer Gavin Booth saw one French worker leave for Bali. The worker did not want to risk a 5,000-space lottery.
- Over 70 per cent backpackers
- Fowler's workforce
- 50 to 80 backpackers
- Annual workers
- 5,000 spaces
- Visa lottery size
- Manjimup, 290km south of Perth
- Location
Why it mattersRegional Australia's tourism and agriculture sectors rely on extended backpacker visas. The lottery system now threatens workforce stability. It threatens business survival too.
AustraliaRural communities across Australia, especially in Western Australia, will lose workers; tourism, hospitality, and agriculture sectors face staff shortages during peak seasons.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
