Attributable to a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson:

The Australian Government is in bilateral discussions with a small number of countries in Southeast Asia about the Agriculture Visa program. Advanced discussions are being held with Indonesia with details to be finalised soon.

Finalisation of bilateral negotiations depends on each country agreeing to arrangements covering their citizens, and being assured of the protections the program will deliver. The Australian Government takes our obligations to provide appropriate protections for workers and to support Australian producers very seriously. We have worked closely with industry as part of this process to design a program that meets their needs and has strong integrity.

As noted in joint statements to date, the Pacific will remain the key pathway for industry to access agricultural workers for Australia. 

The Farrer and Mallee electorates, which cover the Sunraysia Mallee region, currently have together close to 2100 workers helping farmers and growers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.

Over 20,000 workers are now in Australia under the PALM scheme, and there are another 55,000 Pacific workers currently available to farmers and industry from a work-ready pool.