📋 Tender Overview
The Andrews Labor Government is backing farm businesses and workers across the state with improved training skills development and additional support services to manage their peak harvest season.Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas today announced 2.9 million in new programs and initiatives as part of the Labor Governments ongoing support for the agriculture sector to strengthen its seasonal workforce.A new 600000 pilot program will increase skills development and career opportunities for Victorians new to agriculture while providing businesses with more workers to help build a sustainable and resilient local workforce.The Seasonal Workforce Co-ordinators will continue their vital role with 1.1 million dedicated to assisting farm businesses to build a strong harvest workforce by creating better connections to local workers through industry groups education providers and recruitment organisations.The Seasonal Workforce Co-ordinators address labour shortfalls with regionally coordinated solutions that cannot be achieved by individual businesses or industries working alone. They also support workers with information on mental health and wellbeing COVIDSafe measures safe work practices and vaccination support.To date support for vulnerable workers has been an important part of the Governments Seasonal Workforce Program particularly people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities who play a valuable role in the industrys seasonal workforce.A 1 million program will boost services provided by the Sunraysia Mallee Ethnic Communities Council and will extend this model more broadly across Victoria. This will ensure vulnerable workers have access to the information and support they need about COVIDSafe protocols and employment opportunities.The package also includes funding to improve workforce data to enable more strategic management of the seasonal workforce as it moves across Australias East Coast during the harvest.The 6 million Seasonal Workforce Accommodation Program will also continue which has seen new accommodation transport and support options for more than 2000 workers rolled out across rural and regional Victoria.These initiatives are part of the Governments comprehensive 84 million Seasonal Workforce Program and build on the important work already done in partnership with industry as it looks to a longer-term workforce strategy with lasting benefits for future harvest seasons.More than 1960 Pacific workers have arrived to support industry with an additional 3550 workers taking up seasonal horticulture work through the Seasonal Harvest Sign-On Bonus boosting our local workforce.
