CONSULT and communicate.
They are two simple concepts the NSW Government failed to adopt when announcing and implementing new border restrictions that have had a huge impact on our community this week.
From the moment NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Sunday announced the tighter restrictions would mean people in border communities would no longer be able to “just pop across to do your shopping,” my office was inundated by phone calls, emails and messages from people desperate to try and understand exactly what was, or wasn’t, allowed.
Seasonal workers were suddenly and inexplicably banned from getting permits; the Sturt Highway on the NSW side of the border from Mildura to Robinvale suddenly and inexplicably off limits; the Murray River suddenly and inexplicably prohibited to Victorian boaties and rowers.
Suddenly and inexplicably, residents from Sunraysia were left dealing with restrictions that were tougher than those in hot spots of Melbourne and Sydney.
We aren’t bound by bureaucratic, blue-shaded borders. We might have towns in different states, but we are one community.
It took us days of lobbying to finally get the government to see sense and reopen the Sturt Highway between Mildura and Robinvale.
On Friday, our fight for seasonal workers was continuing and, after days of meetings, the understanding was the government would be making concessions to allow visa holders access to permits.
The NSW Government claimed health advice showed seasonal workers were “high-risk” and banned them from obtaining permits to work on farms on the NSW side of the Murray.
Not once did it bother to explain exactly how a backpacker who has been living in Mildura and picking fruit on our farms for the past six months is a higher risk than anyone else.
And not once did the government bother to consult anyone from the horticulture industry or lobby groups to gauge the impact of these rules.
For Premier Gladys Berejiklian to stand up at a press conference and announce there was no labour shortage in NSW, given so many people in airline and hospitality industries were currently out of work, shows just how out of touch she and her government to the needs of our horticulture industry. It’s actually insulting.
I wrote to Premier Daniel Andrews to request he raise the seasonal worker issue, as well as the lack of access for border communities on compassionate grounds, at Friday’s National Cabinet.
This week’s new restrictions were a complete over-reach from the NSW Government, which was forced to make amendments that better balanced public safety with the needs of our border communities.
With more consultation and communication, the best outcomes could have been achieved from the outset.
Ali Cupper is the Member for Mildura
