DELAYS in processing Working Holiday Maker visas risk reducing the potential labour pool for Australian employers, including in agriculture, according to Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Jono Duniam.

Mr Duniam said the Coalition has not seen evidence that gives it confidence the Albanese Government is working anywhere near directly enough with agricultural employers and other affected stakeholders to address these consequences.

Mr Duniam’s comments follow Department of Home Affairs statements that offshore WHM visa applications may take several months to be finalised in some cases.

A departmental spokesperson has also claimed “the government is working closely with stakeholders to uphold its international commitments and sensure critical workforce needs, including in agriculture, are met.”

The departmental spokesperson said the intent of the Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program is to boost people-to-people connections between Australia and partner countries by providing young adults with access to a 12-month visa as part of a cultural exchange, during which they can undertake short term work and study.

“The 2026-27 Federal Budget included measures to ensure Australia’s migration system continues to operate in the national interest, boosting productivity and supporting economic resilience while strengthening the integrity of the system.

“Included in these measures were reforms to the WHM program that allows the Department to better control demand and provide a fairer allocation of WHM visas,” the spokesperson said.

“These actions will be rolled out progressively to ensure the long-term sustainability of the WHM program while continuing to support the tourism economy and workforce needs particularly in regional Australia.

“The department is prioritising onshore Working Holiday visa applications,” the spokesperson said.

“This means that offshore Working Holiday visa applications may take several months to be finalised in some cases.

“The number of WHMs in Australia continues to be at historically high levels.”

The department spokesperson recommended that visa applicants do not book flights or make travel, work or study commitments until their visa has been granted.

“The government will continue to work closely with stakeholders to uphold our international commitments and ensure critical workforce needs, including in agriculture, are met.”

WHM visa delays already a headache for farmers

However, National Farmers Federation president Hamish McIntyre said the Federal Government’s pause on Working Holiday Maker visas is already causing disruptions in Australia and abroad.

“We’ve heard reports that potential backpackers are now second-guessing their plans to work seasonally in Australia.

“This is already causing headaches for farmers,” he said.

“We are yet to hear back from the government about why the pause is in place and what the plan is.

“We will continue to attempt to engage until we find a satisfactory solution.”

The NFF has encouraged support for an Australian Tourism Industry Council petition calling on the government to protect Working Holiday Maker backpacker visas.

The government has said there is strong demand for the Work and Holiday program, and applications for some countries may exceed the number of places available.

As part of a general immigration visa processing slowdown, the government has paused offshore Working Holiday visa applications from 24 countries to manage country caps, and has said paused caps may be reopened later in the same program year to allow further applications.

Clear risk to working holiday maker labour pool

Mr Duniam said the department’s response confirms the concern that the Coalition has been raising consistently over recent weeks: offshore Working Holiday Maker applications can now take several months to process, and applicants are being specifically advised not to make travel or employment commitments until their visa is granted.

“There is a clear risk that these delays will reduce the potential Working Holiday Maker labour pool available to Australian employers.

“For agricultural businesses, especially at this time in the harvest cycle, several months of uncertainty can make all the difference between having workers available when they are needed and missing that window altogether,” he said.

“Working holiday makers have choices about where they travel and work.

“If applicants cannot get reasonable certainty about whether or when they will receive a visa to enter Australia, there is an obvious risk that some will simply make other plans and head elsewhere,’ Mr Duniam said.

“The government’s changes to processing priorities should not have made it harder for regional employers to access urgently-needed workers – but that has indeed been what has happened.”

Mr Duniam said the department says the government will work closely with stakeholders.

“However, it has offered no detail about what consultation has occurred or will occur, which agricultural organisations have been involved, or what steps are being taken to ensure these processing delays do not create (and accelerate) workforce shortages.

“The government should provide that detail, along with much clearer information about how long offshore applicants are now practically expected to wait.”

Urgent fix needed before summer harvest

Australian farmers and regional employers have warned they could be left without the workers they need for the peak summer harvest and tourism season unless the Federal Government urgently fixes delays in skilled worker and working holiday visa processing.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Darren Chester and peak industry bodies earlier this week called for the Albanese Government to reverse its visa processing slowdown.

In Federal Parliament yesterday, Mr Chester moved for the immediate reversal of the changes made under Ministerial Direction 119 as they apply to agricultural visas, to resume normal processing of Working Holiday Maker visa applications for all affected countries, and to guarantee that agricultural workforce visas will be prioritised in any future migration policy changes.

“The Albanese Government has created more uncertainty for farmers, growers, tourism operators and regional employers at the worst possible time.

“Peak summer harvest and tourism periods are not a surprise,” Mr Chester said.

“They happen every year, and Australian farmers and regional businesses need certainty that they can access the workforce required to operate.

“Instead, farmers and regional employers are being left in limbo because visa processing has been deliberately slowed and access to critical workers is being restricted.”

“We need a migration plan which works in Australia’s interest, but Labor is going slow on essential workers with the skills we need.”

Industry bodies including the Tourism and Transport Forum, National Farmers’ Federation, Accommodation Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have called on the Federal Government to urgently restore access to working holiday makers and consult with affected sectors.

NFF chief executive officer CEO Mike Guerin said Working Holiday Makers are essential to maintaining Australia’s food and fibre production, filling around one in seven farm jobs nationally and helping farmers get crops harvested.

“By restricting access to this workforce, the consequences don’t stop at the farm gate,” Mr Guerin said.

“They are already being felt in regional communities and supply chains and before long, they will be felt at the checkout,” he said.

“Food insecurity will plague even more Australian consumers.

“These changes are also creating health and safety risks for farmers and workers who are juggling unsustainable workloads.”

VFF sounds the alarm

The Victorian Farmers Federation also sounded the alarm that the Federal Government’s deliberate go-slow on visa processing is creating significant uncertainty for Victorian farmers, with the state’s agricultural sector heading into critical harvest and peak production periods.

VFF president Ryan Milgate said farmers needed certainty and a skilled workforce they could rely on when crops and livestock required it.

“We are already seeing the impacts of workforce uncertainty, and the timing could not be worse as Victorian agriculture heads into peak harvest and production periods,” Mr Milgate said.

Mr Chester said the Federal Government needed to explain how it would resolve delays and provide certainty to affected industries.

“When peak bodies, farmers and regional employers are all raising the alarm, the Albanese Government should stop pretending this is a minor administrative issue,” Mr Chester said.

“The Minister needs to restore confidence in the system and provide certainty before the peak harvest and tourism season is put at risk.”

Accommodation Australia CEO James Goodwin said Working Holiday Makers are highly valued workers who are motivated and mobile, filling workforce shortages where flexibility is needed to meet seasonal demands.

“When you take those workers out of the system, something has to give,” Mr Goodwin said.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told Federal Parliament today he would outline the government’s migration policy tomorrow at his National Press Club address.