Page 24 - Tropic Magazine Issue 18

TROPIC • AGRICULTURE

Entitlements bite

SCALING UP
New overtime and penalty rate
rules are eating into the profits
of local fruit and vege farmers.

Words Renee Cluff

Until this year, Australia’s horticultural
sector was exempt from paying penalties
or overtime to casual staff. Now, under As well as making farm management Mr Serra said the backpackers are also
a Fair Work Commission ruling, casuals more difficult, he said the changes have unimpressed. “There’s more people
who work more than 12 hours a day also added an extra layer of expense. working less hours and no-one’s happy
or 38 hours per week receive overtime “It’s definitely having an economic about it,” he said. “With avocados, the
at the rate of 175% of their minimum impact because we’re spending more guys were easily doing 45 to 50 hours
hourly wage. They also get penalty a week and they would have happily
rates of 15% for working outside 5am done 60 but if we allowed that now it
and 8.30pm. Serra Farming on the would just cripple us. We’re not happy
Atherton Tablelands was harvesting No-one’s going to allow and they’re not happy so it hasn’t really
both avocados and bananas when the any casuals to work over achieved anything.”
changes came into effect in April. Peter Chair of FNQ Growers Joe Moro
Serra told Tropic the new rules clash with 38 hours because they just said the full impact to the region’s
the seasonal nature of farming and the can’t afford it. horticulture industry won’t be realised
region’s heavy reliance on backpackers. until the next summer fruit harvest.
“No-one’s going to allow any casuals to “Farmers will stop a worker doing 38
work over 38 hours because they just hours and find someone else to take
can’t afford it,” he said. “We had some time in administration to really their spot but that means more casuals
weeks where we had to stop picking keep a close eye on rosters,” he said. and more time spent training,” he said.
avocados because our crews had hit that “Then in the long term it will be more “Or, the farmers might not have time
limit. It’s a shame because the price was infrastructure costs like buying more to harvest before their crops become
good, the crop was ready but we had banana bagging machines to cut down overripe. You’ll have fruit just rotting on
to stop.” on labour hours.” the ground.”

Diversifying cane
The Queensland Government is looking 2046. It promised to invest $50 million
for a new partner to commercially to build plants at five Queensland
develop a sugar cane product that sugar mills but three years later,
has almost no calories. PlantZap was the deal went sour. With the hope
discovered by government scientists of finding a way forward, tenders
during research to improve the sugar for a new commercial developer
crystallisation process through closed at the end of May. Minister for
filtration. The almost tasteless, Agricultural Industry Development
colourless liquid has just one to two Mark Furner said it was open to both
per cent of the calories in sugar but is domestic and international companies.
full of electrolytes such as potassium “This could be of interest to sugar
and magnesium. It can also mask the mills, food and beverage companies,
bitter aftertaste of sweeteners such as or food additive suppliers,” he said.
stevia, which is used in diet soft drinks. “We are looking for a company that
In 2013, Switzerland-based would initially invest in a pilot plant
Nutraceutical and Natural Products co-located with a sugar mill to
was granted exclusive rights to the produce small commercial quantities
commercialisation of the product until of PlantZap for consumer trials.”

24 • Tropic • Issue 18