The changes were announced by Employment Minister Michaelia Cash and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and welcomed by the National Farmers Federation (NFF).

Senator Cash said the Seasonal Worker Program had been highly effective in helping Australian businesses overcome seasonal labour shortages and employers in a range of agriculture industries - including cattle, sheep, grain and mixed enterprises - could now apply, to be part of the program.

Mr Joyce said changes to the subclass 416 visa meant more agricultural businesses would benefit in regional areas where labour can be in short supply during peak periods.

“This is good news for Australian farming enterprises that now have more options for seasonal labour and can better plan for their harvests and other busy periods with much greater certainty,” he said.

“This is also good news for citizens from our Seasonal Worker Program partner countries in the Pacific Islands as well Timor Leste who will now have more opportunities to benefit from a wider variety of work experiences while also earning a decent wage.”

The government said critical safeguards were built into the program like the requirement for employers to fully test the local job market before they can apply to recruit workers.

“While we are determined to ensure businesses across Australia have access to the seasonal workers they need, we are equally determined that no Australian misses out on a job,” Minister Cash said.

During a radio interview, Mr Joyce was asked why the visa changes were needed to attract overseas workers when local youth unemployment was about 20-25 per cent in some areas, with one million Australians out of work. He conceded that scenario was unfortunate but in many instances, if overseas workers were unavailable for certain industries like fruit picking, “you just wouldn’t be able to get a crop”.