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Harvest Labour Services – Reforms to encourage Australian job seekers to take up seasonal work

Consultation paper explaining the Harvest Labour Services (HLS) and proposed reforms to encourage Australian job seekers to take up seasonal work. Includes information on HLS placement services, other services provided, the 2019-20 federal budget measure, expansion of HLS, feedback questions on proposed regions and eligible activities, HLS service fees, outcomes payments, role of NHLIS, and the Harvest Trail website.

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Harvest Labour Services – Reforms to encourage Australian job seekers to take up seasonal work

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  1. Harvest Labour Services – Reforms to encourage Australian job seekers to take up seasonal work Consultation Paper Explanation

  2. Harvest Labour Service (HLS) HLS links workers with seasonal harvest jobs to meet seasonal peaks in employer demand in locations across Australia that do not have adequate local labour supply to meet this demand.

  3. HLS – Placement Services Harvest Placement Services include: • Obtaining Harvest Vacancies from Harvest Employers or Harvest Labour Hire Firms • Checking potential Harvest Worker eligibility (including visa checks) • Directly registering any unregistered potential Harvest Workers • Referring Harvest Workers to the Harvest Vacancies • Recording Harvest Job Placements on the Department’s IT Systems.

  4. HLS – Other Services In addition to Placement Services, HLS also includes: • Preparing job seekers for harvest work • Mobilising job seekers and those with work rights and placing them into harvest jobs • Conducting visa checks on workers before referring them to employers • Liaising with harvest employers to identify and support their labour needs • Marketing harvest work opportunities • Educating employers about government regulations • Providing information to Harvest Workers about: • accommodation, transport and quarantine information in Harvest Areas • conditions of employment • Providing information about any labour shortages, and liaising with employers for the purpose of developing strategies to overcome labour shortages • Advising the National Harvest Labour Information Services (NHLIS) when they need help marketing vacancies • Providing quarterly and annual reports to the department.

  5. 2019–20 Federal Budget Measure – HLS The ‘Harvest Labour Services – Reforms to encourage Australian job seekers to take up seasonal work’ measure announced in the 2019–20 Budget consists of four main elements: • Expanding the HLS regions • Incentivising HLS providers to place Australian job seekers into seasonal work • Enhancing the National Harvest Labour Information Service (NHLIS) and Harvest Trail website • Collaborating with the horticulture industry to develop industry-led proposals to promote seasonal work opportunities to Australian job seekers and help employers understand opportunities available to hire Australian workers.

  6. Expansion of HLS

  7. HLS Eligible Placements and Harvest Crops

  8. Questions for feedback – Proposed Regions and Eligible Activities The questions for feedback regarding the proposed regions are: • Are there any major horticultural regions where employers are experiencing recruitment difficulties, which are not included in this list? What are these recruitment difficulties? Where are they? • Which of these regions represent an opportunity to get more Australian job seekers into horticultural work? In which regions might this be difficult to achieve? Why? • Do the proposed regions allow providers to deliver a locally tailored service? If not, how could this be achieved? • Should a Harvest Labour Services provider be required to service a region in its entirety, or be able to select specific areas? Why? The question for feedback regarding eligible activities is: • Should the current list of eligible placements be maintained, or should it be broadened to include other activities or crops? If so why?

  9. HLS Placement Fee

  10. HLS Service Fees • HLS Providers can currently claim an upfront quarterly Service Fee of $53,900 (GST inclusive) for the maintenance of sites within HLS regions and the promotion of HLS services and harvest vacancies. • The Service Fee acknowledges the upfront operational needs of HLS providers and, under the reforms this fee will be retained at its current rate.

  11. HLS Outcomes Payments

  12. Questions for feedback - Payments The questions for feedback regarding the payment of Outcomes are: • What would enable HLS providers to effectively package consecutive seasonal work placements? If breaks between placements are allowed, what should be the maximum break duration? • What should the minimum hourly threshold be for an HLS Outcome Payment? (e.g. 25+ hours/week, average or total hours at the end of the outcome period)? • How can HLS providers be encouraged to coordinate and deliver assistance to Australian job seekers to address barriers to take up a harvest placement? • How can collaboration between HLS providers and employment service providers be maximised?

  13. Role of the National Harvest Labour Information Service (NHLIS) • The NHLIS provides information regarding harvest related work opportunities across Australia, including in areas not serviced by HLS. • Under the measure announced in the 2019–20 Budget, NHLIS will continue to be funded. However there may be opportunities to change the way the service operates to better meet the needs of users.

  14. The Harvest Trail website • The jobactive harvesttrail.gov.au website includes a link to a filtered version of the jobactive jobs board which lists vacancies that are flagged as seasonal work in harvest occupations. • Under the 2019–20 HLS Budget measure, from 1 July 2020 there will be new content and a “new look and feel”, to the website making it easier for users to find information.

  15. Questions for feedback – NHLIS and Harvest Trail Website The questions for feedback regarding the role of the NHLIS are: • What should NHLIS look like from July 2020? Are there opportunities to improve the service to better respond to the needs of users? Does the telephone service continue to play an important role? How can social media be used to more effectively connect with harvest workers and employers? • Does the Harvest Trail jobs board currently meet the needs of stakeholders? How could the quality of this vacancy listing service be improved? • Could some of the activities currently undertaken by NHLIS be better undertaken by locally based HLS providers? If yes, what activities? • Who uses the Harvest Trail Guide? Is it still needed? Does it need to be provided in hard copy format for some users? Who are these users?

  16. Industry Engagement • As part of the 2019–20 HLS Budget measure, the horticulture/agricultural industry will be invited to submit innovative ideas aimed at promoting seasonal work opportunities to local job seekers and encouraging growers to hire Australian job seekers. • Proposals will be co-funded, 50 per cent by industry and 50 per cent by Government, and will be capped at $1.0 million over two years in total. Funding will be available nationally from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2022. Question for feedback: • How can interested parties be engaged to co-design these industry-led projects?

  17. Other Government Programs • Seasonal Worker Programme • Pacific Labour Scheme • New Employment Services Trial • Online Employment Services Trial. Question for feedback: • How can we make these programs, trials and initiatives work more effectively together?

  18. Consultation Process • Open to all stakeholders Key Dates

  19. Lodgement of Submissions (1) • Lodge your response using the Consultation Paper Response Form (SmartForm) • Email the completed form to espurchasing@employment.gov.au • No late submissions will be accepted.

  20. Lodgement of Submissions (2) • Submissions will be published on the Department’s website • Please indicate in the SmartForm if you do not want: • the submission to be published • your personal details to be published.

  21. Any questions? Please contact the Employment Services Purchasing Hotline Email: espurchasing@employment.gov.auPhone: 1300 733 514

  22. Further Information Consultation process Refer to the Consultation Paper on: • AusTender– tenders.gov.au • the Department’s website – Employment.gov.au/purchasing Frequently Asked Questions • Department’s website – employment.gov.au/purchasing Submissions to the Consultation Paper • Can be lodged using the SmartForm available in the Consultation Paper and the department’s website Employment.gov.au/purchasing and emailing to: espurchasing@employment.gov.au Future information about HLS/NHLIS • Register your interest on AusTender – tenders.gov.au

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