Policy

Labour

People employed in the citrus industry have the right to a safe work environment and are entitled to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Much of the work in the citrus industry is seasonal, physical and time critical.

To that end, Citrus Australia:

Supports the piece rate as a motivation for efficiency and reward
Supports the Seasonal Worker Program as a core component to a stable seasonal workforce
Supports legislation that recognises the variability of horticultural workplaces
Supports raising the superannuation threshold from $450 a month
Opposes industrial manslaughter rules
Opposes expansion of penalty rates
Promotes a uniform and efficient national labour hire contractor registration process and system, including no under payment and misuse of piece work agreements.

Resources

Citrus Australia has composed a Members’ Guide to Farm Labour in Australia, to provide guidance on how to source labour, how to pay workers correctly and how to ensure their safety amongst many other things.

Citrus Australia has also compiled a comparison of visas currently available for growers to sponsor workers, as of February 2020.

Visit our LABOUR section for members, to view the above documents, along with our other resources.

View further information on labour by following the below links:

Horticulture Showcase – the new website for horticulture growers and workers, by the Fair Work Commission
Changes to the Horticulture Award handed down by the Fair Work Commission – a letter to growers from Citrus Australia, highlighting changes to the Hort Award in April 2019
The Horticulture Award 2010
Modern Awards – awards and agreements that may be useful for growers when managing pay for staff
National Employment Standards (NES) – information on annual leave, maximum weekly hours and so on

Advocacy

6 Oct 2020 – Citrus Australia have been successful in their advocacy for relocation payments, to assist people to move to regional and rural Australia to assist with harvest in horticulture. See details from each state below.

Queensland – Payments of up to $1,500

Western Australia – Payments of up to $3,360 over 12 weeks

Victoria – Payments of up to $250 per day

1 Jan 2020 – Read below the details of the NEW Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement, available to assist growers to sponsor skilled workers.