Manjimup businesses oppose visa limits as backpacker labor risk grows

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Manjimup businesses oppose visa limits

Highlights

Federal government plans to limit working holiday visas and introduce ballots for extensions, raising staffing concerns among Manjimup businesses reliant on backpacker labor.
Paul Fowler reports over 70 percent of his pub workforce comprises backpackers and warns that visa changes threaten both current operations and future investments in the region.
Employer feedback highlights that proposed visa lottery rules have already caused worker departures, with truffle producer Gavin Booth noting French staff left due to increased uncertainty.

Visa changes raise staffing concerns in Manjimup

As reported by ABC News, the federal government is pushing ahead with plans to limit working holiday visas, including ballots for second and third-year extensions, despite concerns from regional employers that the move could cut access to critical workers.

In Manjimup, about 290 kilometers south of Perth, businesses say backpackers fill essential roles across the local economy. Paul Fowler, who owns a country pub in the town, says more than half a dozen backpackers account for over 70 percent of his workforce, with Italian travelers working across front-of-house and kitchen roles.

Fowler says the policy change threatens both existing operations and future investment. Before the visa changes were announced, he bought a second pub in neighboring Pemberton and planned to staff it with backpackers, but he now says the business is under threat because he may no longer be able to secure enough workers.

A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs says the reduction is intended to support the program's long-term sustainability and that the department will work with affected industries to help them access the labor they need.

Regional economy depends on returning workers

Local employers and visa holders argue the changes do not reflect the value backpackers provide after their first year, especially in towns that rely on repeat seasonal and hospitality labor.

Roberto Spadotto came to Manjimup as a farmhand, picking avocados and broccoli to meet visa requirements, and after completing 88 days of regional work and receiving an extension, he moved into managing Fowler's pub alongside his partner, Giulia Colombo. He says the couple now plans to stay in the area and build a life in Australia.

Truffle producer Gavin Booth says uncertainty around the new lottery requirement is already affecting worker retention. He says a French backpacker left after learning about the proposed extension process, underscoring employer concerns that the changes could push workers away from regional Australia.

Our earlier article covered HeiTech Padu’s contract extension to keep Malaysia’s legacy immigration system, MyIMMs, running while the country transitions to the new NIISe platform. We noted that the maintenance deal extends operations into 2029, underscoring how immigration policy shifts often rely on parallel systems and longer-than-expected transition periods to avoid disruptions to immigration services.

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