The Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England Barnaby Joyce has announced a global $10 million campaign to attract more working holiday makers to Australia.
Mr Joyce said the campaign builds on the Coalition’s recent reform package, which will make Australia a world-leading destination for young people to undertake a working holiday.
“Combined with Australia’s natural beauty and safety, conditions are ride for a backpacker boost,” he said.
Mr Joyce said the three-year campaign will target the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy to boost the number or working holiday maker arrivals.
“The campaign, by Tourism Australia, invited young people around the world to come to Australia for a life-changing experience, working and holidaying in our beautiful country,” he said.
Mr Joyce said working holiday makers are an important part of Australia’s tourism industry, with more than 320,00 working holiday makers spending around $3 billion in Australia in the last year.
“I’ll be working with local tourism operators to ensure our region makes the most of this new campaign,” he said.
Principle of the Mountain Blue Farm Ridley Bell welcomed the initiative to attract more working holiday-makers.
He said his business had about 450 casual employees working on the harvest at present.
“Most of them are backpackers, we wouldn’t have a business without them,” Mr Bell said.
“Mountain Blue Farms opened a $4.5 million packing house earlier in the year, which is serviced by a total of 180ha of blueberries.”
