For years there have been complaints of visa workers coming into the country and "taking our jobs". The reality is that they were coming into work because there was no one locally willing to do the hard work.
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Just look at the agricultural industry at the moment.
Farm operators and owners are begging for employees for seasonal harvest. But, for whatever reason, many job seekers are not choosing to follow through.
For some, the work is too hard.
There would be some people not capable of this labour due to injuries or age.
There would also people who could do it but aren't willing to condition themselves - it's laziness.
For others, they fear losing access to social payments due to money earned. This is a genuine fear, particularly in the time of COVID-19.
Seasonal work is precisely that, there is no surety of future income. The work can also be a short season of just a handful of weeks.
People can no longer be eligible for Jobseeker after 12 weeks of earning too much.
At the moment a single person on Jobseeker can receive $1115 a fortnight (based on a 72-hour working week $15 an hour).
After September 25 that payment would drop to $815 a fortnight ($11 an hour).
Once the coronavirus supplement is removed that payment will be $565 a fortnight (nearly $8 an hour).
Labour hire companies have said this week that workers can expect to earn about $24 an hour fruit picking.
So why are people not willing to do the work?
There is also a disconnect between agriculture, labour and career pathways.
Yet, we hear stories of people starting stacking shelves at a supermarket to becoming the CEO.
The same pathways and opportunities would exist in agriculture.
The long-term solution will be the automation of the industry.
When that comes, we will again, no doubt, hear cries of "shame" and "taking our jobs". Well, do something about it.
