MEMBER for Mallee Anne Webster is not a headline-seeking politician.
So when she says “this is one of those issues worth dying in a ditch over” when calling for an amnesty for undocumented migrants already in Australia, you sit up and take notice.
You see, the Coalition Government is deeply divided on this issue, but Dr Webster, a Nationals member, has stuck her flag firmly in the ground on her side of the fence.
Good on her.
Dr Webster says policy change to help address the massive shortage of horticulture workers is “long overdue”.
She’s right. With immigration at a standstill due to COVID-19, the issue right now is dire, and not just in the horticulture industry.
There are worker shortages across a whole range of industries, notably hospitality, where in Mildura alone positions that may typically be picked up by international travellers cannot be filled.
But Dr Webster and other federal Nationals MPs who are calling for the amnesty face an enormous fight within their own government.
Consider this from Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash this week: “The government’s position remains very, very clear. There will be no amnesty.”
And this from the office of Immigration Minister Alex Hawke: “The government does not support blanket regularisation of the status of unlawful non-citizens who have breached work-related visa conditions or overstayed their visa.”
Ray Kingston, who ran against Dr Webster for the Mallee seat, responded on Twitter to the Coalition Government’s stance this week.
“Fair enough, what’s their plan then? Continue to turn a blind eye to 95 per cent of the dodginess and the exploitation that goes along with it, make the odd raid, pat themselves on the back and just let the whole industry be tarred by the same brush for ever? Sounds awesome!” Mr Kingston tweeted.
Last week, union groups singled out Mildura in a damning report that claimed farmers and contractors were paying workers less than $2 an hour.
As Mr Kingston pointed out, the report demonstrates how the whole industry gets “tarred with the same brush” over a few dodgy operators.
But illegal citizens hiding in the grape vines are ripe for the picking when it comes to exploitation. Let’s face it, who are they complaining to when they are unwilling to step out into the open?
But an amnesty at this extraordinary time in our history would help better legitimise the industry.
And it’s not as if it can’t be done. There is precedent.
Back in 1976, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser granted amnesty to illegal immigrants who were already living here.
The Federal Government knows its current hard-line stance on immigration is popular with a large number of voters, when immigration has been basically stopped due to a worldwide pandemic, granting amnesty to those already living here will not weaken its international image. It’s just a smart option.
Independent Member for Mildura Ali Cupper has been advocating an amnesty for undocumented workers since 2019.
But this week she backed Dr Webster’s call for its implementation as a matter of urgency.
“There has been extensive consultation about this issue – we don’t need more consultation. We need action,” Ms Cupper said.
Dr Webster said she was “not fussed” by Senator Cash’s comment and would not give up the fight.
“We’re in a position where this is a unique opportunity to make positive changes,” she told Sunraysia Daily this week.
“When governments are faced with a crisis, it gives more scope to be flexible (with policies and rules) and then adapt to the changing circumstances.”
“It’s an untenable situation where we have exploited workers among us, and that could continue unless we make changes.”
Members of a political party are, for the most part, required to toe the line and be team players. But there are times when their loyalty need to lie with those who elected them. This is one such time for the Member for Mallee.
It’s not about headlines. It’s about doing what’s right.
