CORONAVIRUS —
SHEARING
870. Hon RICK MAZZA to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:
With
COVID-19 restrictions putting a halt on skilled labour coming to Western Australia
from interstate and overseas, Western Australia is facing a shortage of
contract shearers for the imminent spring shearing season.
(1) Does the state government
consider shearing to be an essential service?
(2) Is the
minister aware that in addition to the financial impact for farming, the
impacts on animal husbandry programs will create a looming animal welfare risk
from sheep carrying wool during the flystrike season?
(3) What
initiatives does the government have in place to ensure that a sufficient
workforce is available for this season's wool clip?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
(1) Yes, the
government does understand the importance of shearers to the wool industry. A
letter from the director of livestock
research and industry innovation at the Department of Primary Industries and
Regional Development to the WA Shearing Industry Association has been
widely circulated by industry for use in obtaining commonwealth approval for
incoming shearers.
(2) I am aware of
the consequences that a delay in shearing might have to the routine practices
of operating a farm. I understand the grass seed and flystrike risks associated
with late shearing. In the event that there is a delay in shearing, growers are
encouraged to implement appropriate animal husbandry and farm management
practices to reduce the risk of flystrike.
(3) The WA
Shearing Industry Association has advised that the industry has banded together
to communicate and manage the workforce as efficiently as possible to get
through this shearing season. Some factors have reduced the shearing task this
year, including an additional one million sheep crossing over into the eastern
states, a falling wool price and water supply issues that may lead to a reduction
of the sheep flock. In some areas, fleece weights are also lighter this season,
making for easier shearing.
Of course, this is another example of
the need to develop our own local skills. In the months prior to the COVID-19
pandemic, the government had run shearing programs with Australian Wool Innovation
for Aboriginal people in Northampton and Brookton. I believe that quite a number
of those people are now working successfully in shearing teams. We recently
held a second Northampton program, and a further course will start in Wellstead next week. We are not suggesting that
this will solve the problem immediately, but it shows us the need to try
harder to skill our own people rather than relying on imported labour.