Recommendation 1

2.101

The Committee recommends that the Government maintains the Working Holiday Maker program and notes its value to Australia.

Recommendation 2

2.124

The Committee recommends:

The Department of Home Affairs remains the lead agency with responsibility for the WHM program.

An interdepartmental committee (IDC) to provide oversight of the WHM visa be established. The IDC would meet at least twice a year and comprise senior executive officers from departments and agencies with an interest in the WHM to discuss issues arising from the program. The IDC should have the flexibility to meet on an ad hoc basis as the need arises but especially to deal with agricultural and tourism workforce shortages, issues relating to the employment of WHM and the negotiation of agreements with additional countries.

Recommendation 3

3.37

The Committee recommends that Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa holders should be able to work in tourism and hospitality in all hard-to-staff rural and remote areas of Australia as part of their 88 days or 6 months to qualify for their second- or third- year WHM visa.

Recommendation 4

3.57

The Committee recommends the Government review the definition of ‘regional’ for the purposes of migration with a view to providing a new tiered definition that recognises:

Smaller state capital cities;

Regional cities;

peri-urban areas

Small towns

Remote areas

and that the experiences and opportunities in each of these different areas will be substantially different.

In considering the new tiered definition of regional, the Government should give thought to the effect of any definition of regional for peri-urban areas, many of which have the same characteristics as regional areas just a few kilometres away.

Recommendation 5

3.67

The Committee recommends that the Government continue to seek opportunities to increase the WHM upper age limit to 35 where bilateral negotiations can yield the same outcome for Australians.

Recommendation 6

3.75

The Committee recommends that the Government continue to seek opportunities to expand the WHM program through bilateral negotiations with new countries.

Recommendation 7

3.87

The Committee recommends that the Department of Home Affairs give consideration to providing workers who are undertaking work as part of their 3 months or 6 months with clearer guidance about what amount of work qualifies as a ‘day’.

Recommendation 8

3.103

The Committee recommends that Working Holiday (subclass 417) and Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa holders should be able to work for the same employer for more than 6 months in hard-to-staff rural and remote areas of Australia without asking permission in the following industries:

Tourism or hospitality;

Agriculture, forestry and fishing;

Mining and construction;

Childcare; and

Health care, disability care and aged care.

Recommendation 9

4.16

The Committee recommends that the Government instigate an advertising campaign to promote measures it has taken to encourage Australians and visa holders to undertake agricultural work to meet the shortages arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recommendation 10

4.17

The Committee recommends that the Government undertake a tailored marketing campaign to promote the COVID-19 Pandemic event (408 subclass) visa to temporary visa holders in Australia.

Recommendation 11

4.45

The Committee recommends that the Government expedite the implementation of the recommendations of the Report of the Migrant Workers’ Taskforce.

Recommendation 12

4.46

The Committee recommends that an app be developed for WHMs to augment the hotline recommended in the Interim Report.

Recommendation 13

4.51

The Committee recommends that the Fair Work Ombudsman develop an embassy liaison group to liaise on a regular basis about workplace issues raised with embassies by their citizens.

Recommendation 14

4.94

The Committee recommends that the Government consider additional concessions to SHEV and TPV holders who undertake at least one year of agricultural or horticultural work in a regional area, and are prepared to settle in a regional areas, such as:

Subsidised VET training courses for skilled occupations experiencing chronic skills shortages (of at least 10 years); and

Other incentives that assist SHEV and TPV holders to meet requirements under a range of available visas, including the skilled migration scheme.

List of Recommendations