ADJOURNMENT

Mr TEHAN (Wannon—Manager of Opposition Business) (19:41): Tomorrow, we think the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Citizenship will turn up at the Press Club. He did try about five or six weeks ago and then, all of a sudden, he had to cancel. We understand that the cancellation was because the Minister for Home Affairs and the Treasurer had a pretty willing cabinet discussion, and it couldn't be resolved.

As I understand it, there hasn't been much talking between the two for quite some time, and that continues. Anyway, we hope that the Minister for Home Affairs will be allowed to turn up tomorrow to give a very important address on immigration. One of the things that my constituents would like the minister to address at the Press Club tomorrow is what is happening to working holiday maker visas, because, under ministerial direction 119, all of a sudden, there is a go-slow in processing these visas.

The minister should come clean and let the Australian people know if this is a deliberate go-slow aimed at targeting regional and rural Australians. Is that what it is? Because, if it is, you need to know what the impact is going to be, which is that you're going to cripple rural Australia at a time when they're producing the food that our nation needs.

It is wrong to do this in so many ways and to politically punish regional and rural Australia in this way. Get rid of ministerial direction 119. Hopefully that will be the announcement tomorrow because it needs to be.

I am being inundated, and I know my colleagues are being inundated, about the go-slow on this. Let me give you an example: 'Good morning, Mr Tehan. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me by telephone this morning.

I'm writing on behalf of Monk & Son Ag Services to formally request your urgent assistance in seeking parliamentary escalation regarding significant delays in the processing of 417 working holiday visas for a number of our incoming employees from the United Kingdom and Ireland. Monk & Son Ag Services is Australia's largest bulk-silage-contracting business and a major employer within south-west Victoria.

We are currently experiencing a critical workforce shortage as a direct result of these processing delays. Our peak silage and harvest season is now underway, and we are presently operating with a shortage of up to 30 experienced agriculture operators whose arrival is dependent upon the approval of these visas.' For the benefit of the House, so that you understand what silage does, it feeds animals.

Then what happens is that those animals ultimately, in the end, either produce milk, beef or lamb, and Australians eat them. If we don't have it, you're not going to have food on your plate or the milk in your Weet-Bix bowl. So, something needs to be done, and it needs to be done quickly.

And it's just not this key producer of silage that is suffering. The ADF, Australian Dairy Farmers, are pleading for something to be done as well. For those opposite and for the minister, dairy produces fresh milk, cheese and yoghurts.

I could go on. People need that to eat, right? They need it for their breakfasts.

They need it for their dinner. They need it for their lunch, and, without silage, we won't have it. Minister, tomorrow, please, ministerial direction 119—the go slow which is targeting regional and rural Australians—has to go.

Mr Gorman: Wait until you read your own migration policy! Mr TEHAN: And the government member here gibes and yells out. What he should do is make sure that the minister does the right thing by regional and rural Australia and that the government does the right thing by regional and rural Australia.