Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie says Roger Cook complaints shows Labor’s visa changes ‘crook’

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie says WA Premier Roger Cook’s complaints to Federal Immigration Minister Tony Burke shows Labor’s visa changes are “crook”.

The State Labor leader is in WA today to go face-to-face with Mr Burke after he announced at the National Press Club last month that the government would tighten restrictions on backpacker visas.

The overhaul was part of a broader suite of measures aimed at driving down net overseas arrivals by 75,000 a year.

Mr Cook is among a chorus of voices to argue the new rules will hurt the regional communities, tourism, the hospitality sector and agriculture.

The Premier’s trip to Canberra comes as the WA’s peak tourism season is ramping up and regional farming communities have started their harvesting period.

Senator McKenzie highlighted a State Labor leader’s distaste of the changes to significantly reduce backpacker visas as a sign that Labor had got it wrong and needed to go back to the drawing board.

Speaking with The West Australian on Thursday, Senator McKenzie warned the coming ballot system for working holiday visas will damage regional businesses and communities.

She said already regions were being impacted by the government’s recent months-long administrative go-slow approach on visa applications from skilled workers abroad.

“The harvest doesn’t wait for Tony Burke’s Visa processing times,” Senator McKenzie said.

“We know that his department has had a ‘go-slow’ approach over the last little period of time in actually approving processes.

“Now, the Labor party’s intention to set up a ballot system for working holiday makers, starting in November - that’s next week - is a significant concern.

“And not just to the agriculture industry, we rely on working holiday makers to run our pubs, our clubs, our tourism operations, right throughout Western Australia.

“I think when Labor premiers are calling out the failures of the Albanese government’s migration program, you know things are crook.”

The Coalition’s recently unveiled migration plan aims to reduce migration numbers to a third of the current intake through major reforms to graduate visa programs, while ensuring regional communities continued to have access to seasonal and skilled workers.

Mr Cook will meet with Mr Burke on Thursday after he penned him a letter to him co-signed by Australian Hotels Association chief executive Bradley Woods and Tourism Council WA chief executive Evan Hall.

The trio argued that federal migration policy changes would lead to the loss of thousands of tourism and hospitality jobs, particularly in regional areas.

It claimed the sectors could lose 4500 workers during the peak season if the change to visa caps go ahead.

It comes after The West Australian revealed earlier this month that several key Australian industries which rely heavily on backpackers sat down with government officials to discuss concerns over Labor’s planned migration cuts.

The roundtable consultation session examined the impact of changes to Working Holiday Visa holders will have on sectors like agriculture, aged care, tourism and hospitality, especially in the regions.

Several sectors have previously claimed a processing freeze and lottery system could undermine workforce planning with farmers quick to highlight it could leave them short of staff during the harvesting season.

Mr Cook said beyond working holiday maker visas, he would also discuss the domestic gas reservation, AUKUS, and capital gain tax discount for explorers with his Federal counterparts.

When asked on Wednesday about about Labor’s decision to exclude the mining exploration sector from the CGT carve outs, Treasurer Jim Chalmers initiated the government had a “whole range of different policies to support”.

“We have a number of ways that we’re supporting the critical minerals sector,” he said.

“We see it as an absolutely golden opportunity for this country and that’s why we’ve got a whole range of different policies to support the sector.

“We think that’s a more effective way to do that than some of the other proposals that have been put to us.”