How to hire farm workers in Australia: Harvest Trail, PALM, working holiday makers, labour hire and sponsorship

The routes, by type of role

The compliance points the regulators audit

• VEVO for every visa holder before they start, and for every worker a labour-hire provider sends; the host farm cannot outsource the offence.
• Piecework under the Horticulture Award must pay at least the award hourly rate for the hours worked (the minimum hourly guarantee introduced in April 2022), with a written piecework agreement and a rate a competent worker can beat. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s horticulture audits are continuous.
• Accommodation and transport deductions only with written authority, at reasonable cost, under the award and PALM rules; this is where most prosecutions start.
• Labour-hire licensing in the four jurisdictions above; check the public register before signing.
• 88-day sign-offs for working holiday makers must be accurate; false certification is prosecuted against the employer.
• Safety: farm work is the most dangerous industry by fatalities, and induction, quad-bike and chemical handling records are the first things an inspector asks for after an incident.

Sponsoring farm workers: what the lists allow and what the agreements add

Most farm roles are not on the skilled occupation lists. Those that are (Agricultural Technician, Dairy Cattle Farmer, Beef Cattle Farmer, Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmer and other farmer and manager occupations, Agricultural Consultant, Agricultural and Horticultural Mobile Plant Operator on some lists, Veterinary Nurse) can be sponsored on the 482 where they are on the Core Skills list and on the 494 in regional areas, which covers nearly all farms. For everyone else the industry has negotiated its own routes:

• Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement: 31 occupations from supervisors and tractor operators to irrigationists, with English, salary and age concessions, but excluding pickers and packers.
• Dairy Industry Labour Agreement: senior dairy cattle farm workers and operators.
• Meat Industry Labour Agreement for processors and Pork Industry Labour Agreement for piggeries.
• DAMAs in most regional areas, with their own occupation lists that often include farm hands, machinery operators and truck drivers; the agreement for your region is on the state pages.
• PALM, labour agreement or DAMA: how to choose between them.

Government charges for a two-year 482 at small-business rates are A$3,150 before the A$4,015 visa charge; labour agreement and DAMA nominations use the same charges. Processing is slower for agreements, so start before the season, not during it.

Where to find them

Harvest Trail Services for seasonal workers, PALM approved-employer networks for teams, the backpacker boards and regional Facebook groups for working holiday makers, Workforce Australia for local jobseekers and wage subsidies, and agricultural recruiters for managers. For the year-round roles that need a visa, SponsorTalent lists candidates with farm, dairy, horticulture and machinery experience who are already in Australia on working holiday, student and bridging visas and want a sponsor, and overseas candidates for labour agreement and DAMA roles, with experience and visa status visible. The candidate-side page your applicants read: farm jobs with sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find seasonal workers for harvest? Through Harvest Trail Services, which are free Workforce Australia providers that recruit by region and crop; through the PALM scheme for Pacific teams; and by advertising to working holiday makers, for whom regional farm work counts toward a second-year visa.

What is the PALM scheme and how does a farm join? The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme brings workers from nine Pacific countries and Timor-Leste for seasonal work up to nine months or long-term roles of one to four years. A farm becomes an approved employer under a deed with the Commonwealth, or uses an approved labour-hire employer, and must meet pay, hours, accommodation and welfare obligations.

Can working holiday makers work on my farm for more than six months? Yes. Plant and animal cultivation anywhere in Australia is exempt from the six-month limit, and regional farm work counts toward the 88 days for a second-year visa.

Can I sponsor a farm hand or picker on a 482 visa? Not on the standard 482, because those roles are not on the skilled lists. The Horticulture Industry Labour Agreement covers supervisors, operators and technicians but not pickers and packers; a regional DAMA may cover farm hands; the PALM scheme covers seasonal and long-term unskilled roles.

Is labour hire licensing required for farm labour? In Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT the provider must hold a licence and the farm must use only licensed providers; check the public register before signing. Other states rely on general workplace law.