An attempted “blitz” of Coffs Coast horticulture farms has been scuppered, after word got out the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) was in town checking the working and living conditions of migrant workers.
“Workers were told there was no work during the week, but when the union leaves town they would have to work Saturday and Sunday to pick the berries to catch up,” AWU NSW branch secretary Tony Callinan told the Mid North Coaster.
What happened: Hearing stories of workers being paid “as little as $4 a bucket for picking berries”, the AWU set out to visit farms they had received reports about.
However, much of the picking had ground to a halt.
“Workers reported that the work had been stopped because the employers knew the union was in town. So farmers are going to let fruit rot on the vine to avoid a bit of scrutiny about how they look after their workers,” Callinan said.
Not a shock: The Nambucca Valley’s Raewyn Macky, an advocate for greater regulation of blueberry farms, wasn't surprised that pickers had been stood down while the AWU were in the area.
“It's a very tight knit group [of blueberry farmers], so that's why, if any agency comes to a property, all of the rest of them kick the workers out, lock the gates and call each other up,” she said.
“The news of an agency or regulatory body being here shuts them all down probably within half an hour.”
How we got here: The AWU and the Refugee and Migrant Workers Centre hosted a community forum in Coffs Harbour in late September, attracting dozens of migrant workers seeking legal support.
Union representatives remained in the Coffs Harbour region for four days afterwards, attempting to visit farms allegedly underpaying workers or subjecting them to unsafe conditions.
They also visited sites where migrant workers - many of them pickers on horticulture farms - are being housed.
What they found: Callinan said some of the accommodation facilities his staff visited were “alarming, to say the least”.
“Most people in the city wouldn't allow their animals to live where I saw people sleeping last week,” he said.
The examples: One site, a former hotel, was allegedly housing “in the vicinity of 80 workers, four people to a room”.
“These people are all paying their $120 to $150 of rent to share a bedroom with three other people,” Callinan said.
Another site visited by the AWU was described by Callinan as “like a deserted house”.
“Four people in bunks in multiple bedrooms, no locking doors, broken windows,” he said.
According to Callinan, workers were offered the alternative of sleeping in a shed instead, for the price of $130 a week.
Moving forward: Many farms source their picking workforce through labour hire providers, rather than employing them directly.
Licenses to operate such firms are currently required in Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia, but not in NSW.
On Friday, NSW Labor announced it would introduce a licensing scheme if re-elected at the state election in March 2026.
Broad support: The move has the backing of Unions NSW Secretary Thomas Costa, who said “dodgy labour hire operators” have flocked to NSW after laws were tightened elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA) said the horticulture industry “has been seeking this reform for some time”.
“NSW businesses rely on good labour hire providers, and a licensing scheme that aligns with the national principles will improve worker protections, provide compliant businesses with improved visibility and supply chain integrity,” said CEO Veronica Papacosta.
Bipartisan push: Oxley MP Michael Kemp, a representative of the National Party, has also called for the introduction of a licensing scheme that “protects vulnerable workers while avoiding unnecessary costs and red tape for small businesses doing the right thing”.
Image credit: Edward Cavanough.