• e-mail

Daniel Andrews has unleashed on the federal government over its new visa scheme for migrant workers which he claims the states can't possibly quarantine.

Migrant farm workers from Asian nations will be offered a path to permanent residency under a long-awaited agriculture visa. 

The visa, which will be in place from September 30, will apply to skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled workers, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud announced.

But the Victorian premier said no state had a enough quarantine facilities to house those arriving in Australia - labelling the plan a 'fantasy'.

'The notion that there is an unlimited capacity to quarantine people... no,' he said during Tuesday's Covid-19 press conference.

Daniel Andrews has unleashed on the Federal Government over its new visa scheme for migrant workers which he says will put a huge strain on state quarantine facilities

'Apparently we have to quarantine them all in some unlimited capacity quarantine facility somewhere. Like, it's fantasy.'

Mr Andrews said instead if countries in the Pacific Islands had a higher testing rate, a travel bubble could be set up between them and Australia and therefore quarantine wouldn't be needed.

'I have talked about flying samples back and testing here, why do we not set up testing clinics and some of these countries?' he said.

'It will always be limited by the number of quarantine spots we have. 

'I say to Minister Littleproud, I don't think any agriculture minister knew about this and if you know of some unlimited quarantine facility somewhere, please let me know about it and we will be sure to use it.

'If not, this sort of grandstanding achieves nothing, nothing at all. They are just words.'

Mr Andrews said during the National Cabinet meeting on Friday there was 'no mention' at all of the need to quarantine the influx of workers in specific states.

He said though he was grateful for the migrant workers to help the agriculture industry as border closures prevented overseas seasonal workers, the pressure on quarantine facilities would be heightened.

'Instead of playing games and standing up and doing announcements, work with your colleagues,' the premier said. 

Migrant farm workers from Asian nations will be offered a path to permanent residency under a long-awaited agriculture visa. Scheme will offer work like meat processing, fisheries and forestry sectors, as well as fruit and vegetable picking and other farm jobs

Mr Andrews bristled at suggestions farmers should look for local workers, saying the visa scheme wouldn't be necessary if they hadn't tried.

'I would encourage all of us to work together and not play silly political games, because they don't achieve anything,' he said.

'They reckon farmers and regional communities have tried very hard to get locals to do some of this work or people from Melbourne, there is a reason why this work is done by seasonal workforces every year.'

The premier got even more cranky at suggestions the farmers wanted to employ overseas workers because they could pay them less than Australians.

'There are many things, there are many things that you might have a crack at me about... The fact of the matter is that some work is done by seasonal labour every year,' he said.

'The borders have shut, we have a way forward with some Pacific Islanders who are very, very low risk and we are grateful for them to come here and the work, I would expect they would be paid a proper rate and a fair rate for the work they do. 

'Beyond that, just issuing visas to people, they have got to be quarantined and there isn't unlimited quarantine capacity. 

'There is going to be a limiting factor there. Instead of playing games and standing up and doing announcements or prerecords on Landline, work with your colleagues.'

Vietnam, Thailand, The Philippines, South Korea and other Asian nations are expected to be among the first included

Mr Littleproud said the government would negotiate with individual countries to join the scheme.

Vietnam, Thailand, The Philippines, South Korea and other Asian nations are expected to be among the first included.

'Ones that we have already got very close and long-lasting immigration arrangements with will be the easiest for us to sign up as quickly as we can,' Mr Littleproud told the ABC.

The agriculture visa will initially be created under a tweak to regulations around another category while legislation is drafted.

Mr Littleproud said it would exist alongside Pacific farm labour schemes.

'This is the biggest structural reform to Australian agricultural labour in our nation's history,' he said.

'It's also about bringing the next generation of migrants to rural Australia, to grow agriculture and grow regional Australia.'

The program will offer a path to settle in regional Australia for migrant farm workers who enter on the visa.

Around 40,000 overseas backpackers are estimated to be in Australia in 2021, compared to 140,000 in 2020. Pictured is an orange picker

It will include meat processing, fisheries and forestry sectors, as well as fruit and vegetable picking and other farm jobs.

While there is no cap on agriculture visa places, coronavirus travel restrictions could prevent large numbers of people entering under the category.

Mr Littleproud urged state governments to make more quarantine places available for farm employees.

'If it wasn't for resources and agriculture, our economy would be buggered during Covid-19,' he said.

'They were the ones that kept on going when everyone else was put under the doona.

'They kept on making a quid for this nation and we just need to repay that now with some courage and conviction.'

The Nationals are claiming the visa category as a major win after years of coalition in-fighting.

Liberals relented after Australia agreed to scrap the requirement for UK backpackers to do an 88-day work stint in regional areas to extend working holidays.

The scheme is beneficial for farms which have struggled to find workers amid the border shutdowns (pictured Covid testing clinic in Victoria)

National Farmers' Federation president Fiona Simson said workforce shortages were putting a handbrake on regional economies.

'The Covid-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus, farmers' reliance on an international workforce, particularly during the peak seasonal work periods,' she said.

'The onus is now on state and territory governments and their chief health officers to approve quarantine arrangements to safely house incoming foreign workers.'

Ms Simson urged all sides of politics to back the legislation when it comes before parliament.

Australian Fresh Produce Alliance chair Anthony Di Pietro said all states should follow the lead of Queensland and Tasmania in quarantining overseas farm workers.

'Now that we have an agriculture visa and expansion of the Pacific programs, we need all states and territory governments to work with industry to develop quarantine solutions,' he said.