The Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network is coordinating a series of information sessions on the Seasonal Worker Program (SWP), which has been established to provide Australian industry with a seasonal labour source while supporting neighbouring nations with financial aid.

As well as providing an overview of the SWP and the improvements to the program which have recently been announced, these workshops will showcase four key nations which participate in the SWP: Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

The workshops will provide an overview of how growers can get involved in the SWP, including the recruitment, screening, selection and training processes, and also discuss the skills and experience that workers from these nations can bring to Australian farms.

To read more about the workshops, visit the Growcom event summary for any of the three events:

The Queensland Office of Industrial Relations will also be attending the workshops to talk about workplace health and safety requirements for growers and regulation of the labour hire industry in Queensland, which comes into effect on 16 April 2018.

For more information on the Seasonal Worker Program, visit the Department of Employment website.

This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 20 February 2018.