LABOUR hire concerns have been one of the prominent issues within the speaker sessions on the first official day of the 2016 National Horticulture Convention on the Gold Coast today.
Some 1500 delegates representing the depth of the Australian horticulture industry supply chain attended the conference, making the most of the information sessions and the networking opportunities.
Held at the RACV Royal Pines resort, a substantial tradeshow also presented the latest products and services on offer.
Among the speakers to delve into the issue of labour hire was Growcom chief advocate Rachel Mackenzie.
Ms Mackenzie spoke on the labour hire situation in Queensland and advised growers to do their research in terms of labour hire companies.
She also encouraged them to know their responsibilities as they could be liable if a matter went to the Fairwork Ombudsman or beyond.
"You must know what your labour hire company is doing; you must check how they are operating," Ms Mackenzie said.
She likened the labour hire issue as being like the live export equivalent in the beef industry.
However she also reminded delegates that there are plenty of positive backpacker and foreign worker stories happening.
"Bad press will impact on our social licence to operate," she said. "But there are lots of positive and good stories out there that need to be promoted."
The Australian Taxation Office's Scott Parkinson spoke on the "phoenix behaviour" of rogue labour hire companies.
Phoenix behaviour refers to a business that dissolves quickly and then re-emerges under a different name making it difficult to trace if it does the wrong thing.
He said fly-by-night operators were all too common in the horticulture industry but the ATO was working with other agencies to reduce that.
"The story of phoenix behaviour is not just about tax- it's about workers losing their entitlements, and suppliers losing their business," Mr Parkinson said.
He also encouraged growers to do their homework in utilising labour hire firms.
He said although some might offer labour that seems too cheap to be true, and to question if that short-term saving would be worth the long term cost to the industry.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission small business and product safety executive general manager Noel Ridgway spoke on business contracts within the horticulture industry with specific mentions of the supermarket dealings.
He said due to the federal government being in caretaker mode, he could not delve into the review of the Horticulture Code of Conduct.
The convention and trade show continue throughout Friday.
Ashley Walmsley
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
