FEE-FREE apprenticeships are a welcome move that will help the labour challenge for butchers, processors and others in the NSW red meat sector, but difficulties remain across all states, according to the peak industry body the Australian Meat Industry Council.
AMIC CEO Patrick Hutchinson says the NSW government is to be congratulated on its move to abolish apprenticeship fees.
“Sourcing skilled labour is one of the key challenges faced by businesses right across the red meat supply chain, and any steps government can take to make it easier for us to attract, train and retain staff can only be a good thing.
“Our industry continues to work hard to develop career pathways for people coming into the sector and we’re very pleased to see apprenticeship fees abolished under the NSW state budget.”
However, Mr Hutchinson says there is a lot more action required to address the labour challenge. The sector is currently dealing with a labour shortfall equivalent to 3,000 full time jobs.
“Our members – retailers, meat processors, exporters, wholesalers, and smallgoods manufacturers – are part of a sector that employs nearly 200,000 Australians, directly and indirectly, post-farmgate,” he said.
“But we need more staff with strong skills and knowledge and the opportunity for a clear career pathway. Without an adequate labour supply, production and the viability of businesses are negatively affected. Just this week we’ve seen an abattoir in Queensland make an urgent call for government support because they’re just desperate for staff and have seen a huge turnover this year.”
AMIC in Canberra
Mr Hutchinson and other senior AMIC representatives will meet with a number of Federal Government and Opposition leaders next week, and labour will be high on the agenda.
“We’ll be going into these meetings with a strong message about what our members need to be able to properly resource their businesses and support a thriving red meat sector in Australia,” Mr Hutchinson says.
“We’ll be asking for their input and support on a range of topics from boosting education and skills training in regional Australia to the possible introduction of an agricultural visa and reform of the Meat Industry Labour Agreement (MILA) to ensure it underpins recruitment opportunities, sound employment practices and improved productivity.”