Australia, as a guest worker nation?

[mellie]

http://www.fruitnet.com/content.aspx?cid=12936

I think it's bad mannered, potentially exploitive and may hurt Australian workers, their local communities and our tourism sector, those who rely on seasonal work to put food on the table.

Then there's the concern that the money these "guest workers" make in Australia being spent off shore, back home in their own countries.

You either invite workers to your country to live or you don't, they shouldn't be seasonally welcomed, and at other times not.

We have never been a "Guest Worker" nation, so why should we start being one now simply because Labors Fair Work Act isn't working and they cant negotiate a fair minimal rate of pay.

We need to keep our dollar in our own country, every little cent counts.

At least back-packers give much of it back, can the same be said for "guest workers" who spend what they have earned back home their own countries?

[mellie]

2008-

http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/ ... /sub17.pdf

Stop Labors cruel deception before it forms part of a larger trade agreement.

[mantra]

To be fair farmers just can't get the people they need to pick these seasonal crops. It's hard work and only a few are prepared to do it.

Rather we bring people over here to specifically work than just let them come here permanently to sit idly around in our cities.

[mellie]

To be fair farmers just can't get the people they need to pick these seasonal crops. It's hard work and only a few are prepared to do it.

Rather we bring people over here to specifically work than just let them come here permanently to sit idly around in our cities.

Farmers managed to get pickers in the past, I have a solution, but I doubt it will be well received by some.

Pick-fruit for the dole!


They can pick fruit for a few days a week, this and do some part-time course... "Sustainable Horticulture" "English course" etc.

Why I say this is because it instils the "You reap what you sow" work ethic.
If you take,you give something back.


If we are happily accepting illegal immigrants, this and are equally happy to hurriedly process them despite their having jumped the queue, then you would think they would be only too happy to give something back to the nation they wish to form part of and participate in a "Community based work-skills project" ie, Picking fruit and participating in part time study in exchange for residency and government benefits.

1- It might deter refugees who aren't genuinely fleeing their countries out of sheer necessity.

Be they a qualified Lawyer, Doctor, anthropologist or teacher back home in their home countries, they should participate in a community based work Skills project, if they are desperate enough, then they wont mind doing what back-packers have done for decades in exchange for permanent residency.

2- The money they earn stays in our country.

3- Provides farmers and other sectors enduring serious labour shortages with an endless supply of workers.

4- They are virtually keeping themselves and giving something back to the nation they wish to form part of.

5- They Skill-up and or learn English which assists with their integration into both our society and workforce.

For the long term unemployed (existing Australians) and illegal immigrants.

[skippy]

[quote][/
Farmers managed to get pickers in the past, I have a solution, but I doubt it will be well received by some.

Pick-fruit for the dole!


They can pick fruit for a few days a week, this and do some part-time course... "Sustainable Horticulture" "English course" etcquote]
The problem with that ismost farms are miles from no where.
How do you get a kid on the dole living in Sydney to pick fruit in the bush? they would need accommodation yudda yudda and everything that goes with it,who foots the bill for that???? The work is seasonal too, around here some farms might only employ for a couple of weeks or a couple of months ,AT BEST.Then the work is over.

[mellie]

The Snowy Mountains Scheme was a success, I think this could be too.


I think we need to be more selective when picking our fruit, along with our immigrants.

If they wont pick fruit, then they can leave.

They couldn't have been genuine to begin with.

Likewise with the long-term unemployed lurking about in deserted ghost-towns and inner cities where they know fine well gaining full-time employment is unlikely.

If they are serious about getting a job, then they will go wherever the work is, not expect the work to come to them.

Traditional Australian Aborigines lived a nomadic life, following the seasons and the food.


_____________________

In other words Skippy, make them travel to where the work/food is ..... good enough for Aboriginals 200 years ago, then good enough for all of us now.

Agree?

[mellie]

Government subsidised housing (demountable/relocatable cabins) on/near properties, or subsidised accommodation in nearby caravan parks... where there's a will there's a way, Skippy.

We have entire townships sitting around on the dole, happily suckling at the public tit who live close and handy to nearby farms that simply refuse to work, or pick fruit...too hard they reckon! Dont like it!! Would rather watch TV at home!




MAKE THEM!!


Beggars cant be choosers, but they can be 'Pickers'.

No pick, no dole.

Simple!

[skippy]

Your proposal sounds good in theory mel but I cant see it working, the logistics wont add up.
As I said in the other post, I live in an area that farms, mostly cattle but there are lots of small farmers, like me even that grow things that only provide a few weeks work picking/packing shed.
Most of that work is eaten up by us locals,most of them farmers themselves but honestly most people here for instance farmers or not dont have permanent work, their own place might give them work for some of the year but the rest of the time you do a bit here and there, unless you're lucky, like me and have a wife who has a career.
I dont know any around here that have accommodation to even house these workers. So a lot of farms ,being small time dont have the infrastructure to do that, let alone having to pay super and proper wages and all. Most of the work that happens around here is cash in hand, thats how it works, there aren't too many thousand acre properties making millions that can support this sort of thing, well none around here. This area has macadamia nuts coffee a lot of organic small crop farmers that can make a basic living but probably couldn't afford the costs of employing people " on the books".

[skippy]

LOL the busiest time around here is April /May mel, when all the weed gets picked.

[mellie]

A few weeks of work is better than nothing, plus these terminally unemployed and shiftless get to skill-up and see a bit of their own country along the way, may even like to think of it as a government initiated working holiday.

Skip, explain the logistics re- how you think this may fail.


If hungry enough, they will work, this and even pick fruit.


We should expend our own deliberately unemployed sloth's first, then expand on this concept by making use of those able-bodied who arrive here illegally, or who want to fast-track their residency.



The way it is now, our government allows immigrants to fast track their lawful immigration applications for 80k..(It could even be more now)... we should be putting them to good use.

How about we insist they pick fruit for a period of time, (At least 12 months) first...it could be their way of giving back to a nation that gives them so much in return.

As for our terminally unemployed, variety is the spice of life, it would be like a working holiday.