Concerns farm workers could be exploited as Federal Labor looks to axe a jobs program at the end of the month.
The Harvest Trail Services and Harvest Trail Information Service will both be axed, saving more than 47-million dollars over five years.
Federal MP Anne Webster says axing the service will hurt Mallee farmers.
The free services initiated by the former Howard Government in 1998 linked farmers with backpackers and jobseekers during the harvest period (the ‘harvest trail’) comprising horticultural, viticultural, and other agricultural operations across the nation.
Dr Webster endorsed the comments of National Farmers Federation Horticulture Chair Jolyon Burnett, who said “When a government can find money to fund a rugby league competition in Papua New Guinea, but they can’t fund a service that has shown itself to add value to rural communities, it’s very frustrating.”
The HTIS, run by MADEC, will have to close its doors in 6 regional locations beyond Mallee, making 40 staff redundant.
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