Home is where the farm is (for workers too)

Someone asked me late last year if accommodation for workers in horticulture was still an issue. It was all I could do not to roll my eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Of course, there is still an accommodation crisis for seasonal workers! 

In fact, towards the middle of last year accommodation became the number one roadblock to a reliable labour force – a problem that needed a solution.  

Growers have been trying hard to solve their own problems by buying up every piece of suitable infrastructure including houses, caravan parks and hotels. This was not a perfect solution for growers as they had to pay inflated market value and increased their transport costs to and from farm. It was not ideal either for the regional communities these businesses operate within, as this accommodation stock was then not available for locals and visitors alike.  

The very nature of our perishable and seasonal industry means we need the ability to access labour when, and where, required. We were looking for solutions. The great news was, the State Government was also looking for solutions.  

Many conversations, idea sharing, debate and negotiations to reach a way forward ensued, eventually resulting in the release of the Queensland Rural Workers Accommodation Initiative late last month. This Queensland State Government Initiative seeks to encourage the repurposing of existing, underutilised facilities as an interim solution for accommodation along with ease of development of new, rural workers’ accommodation. It provides a way forward for on-farm accommodation for under 20 workers on properties of 25ha in rural zones (can be contiguous); and repurposing of existing buildings to be used for sleeping quarters for more than 20 workers. 

We congratulate the State in recognising the importance of rural workers’ accommodation in facilitating all aspects of the agricultural supply chain and to support the many regional and local economies that rely on rural industries.  

Given planning is usually a local government responsibility, the State government has put an end date (9 December 2025) into this initiative with the knowledge that we (Growcom) along with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and Local Government Association Qld (LGAQ) are working together on longer term local government planning solutions both on farm and within townships. 

The initiative isn’t the be all and end all, but it’s a good start.  

For more information head to: QLD Rural Workers Initiative: www.planning.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/planning-issues-and-interests/queensland-rural-workers-accommodation-initiative