In the lead-up to the Jobs and Skills Summit, AUSVEG and other food supply chain associations, as members of the Food Supply Chain Alliance, calculated the food supply chain needed 172,000 skilled and unskilled workers from paddock-to-plate to continue the effective provision of food to the Australian community.

The Federal government has released a summary of the outcomes from the Summit.

While there are positive announcements overall from the Summit, decision makers missed the mark and failed to provide immediate relief to the sector:

• While increasing the permanent migration cap from 160,000 to 195,000 is a positive step, it doesn’t address the immediate short fall of 172,000 workers needed in the food supply chain.
• Nine months to reduce the unprocessed visa backlog is simply too long. Food supply chain businesses need help now.
• The need for a national food supply chain strategy coupled with a regional housing strategy has not been addressed by the Summit.

Read the latest Food Supply Chain Alliance media release here.