The NSW government's decision to allow greater movement freedom for farmers and agricultural workers has been cautiously welcomed in Victoria.
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The new Highly Specialised Critical Services (Agriculture) Permit allows Victorian farmers and critical agriculture workers to enter NSW for work that is within 100km of the border
They must comply with conditions, including self-isolating when not at work, and have not travelled more than 100 kilometres into Victoria in the past 14 days.
Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes said while the relaxation of the tighter restrictions, introduced by NSW earlier this month, was positive, she had reservations about the imposition of the 100km limit.
She said she would be pushing for greater freedom, for Victorian farmers and those working in the agricultural sector.
"That will certainly be my goal," Ms Symes said.
'We have been waiting for a week for it to come out, so it's a welcome move in the right direction.
"I do remain concerned this won't be a welcome fix for many people who do fall outside the arbitrary distance rules.
"I'm encouraged there are exemptions available if you do fall out of the 100km zone, but I think we will be seeking so many exemptions it will be much easier for the NSW government to perhaps have another look at their permit system."
She said she had already been "bombarded" by several farmers, who said the 100 km limit didn't help them.
"I will take this as a little win, and it's given me a bit more enthusiasm to keep going," Ms Symes said
Under the previous permit system, farmers and contractors had complained they'd been told they had to travel to Melbourne, before flying to Sydney, before entering quarantine for 14 days, then being allowed to travel to where they needed to go, in NSW.
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Ms Symes dismissed the application of the regulations to the agricultural sector.
"It's nonsense, country people live different lifestyles to city people," she said.
"We have demonstrated that we have been very compliant with the rules, we have very few cases in country Victoria and these people just want to get on and do what they do best.
"While I accept they are trying to protect residents from a horrible virus, you have to use a sense of proportion and common sense.
"I get the feeling some of these bureaucrats lack the understanding of agriculture, it's not just one farmer who can do this on his or her own."
Cross border movement kept the agricultural sector strong, she said.
There were also significant issues facing communities at the South Australian border, with an impending ban on Victorians entering SA for previously allowed reasons, including access to critical supplies, providing or receiving care and work or education.
The Victorian Government was working closely with the Cross-Border Commissioner Luke Wilson to ensure border communities and critical industries weren't unfairly impacted by the tighter restrictions from the SA Government.
Ms Symes said she had been talking with her SA counterpart, David Basham, a former Australian Dairy Farmers president.
"He is interested to learn about some of the issues I am hearing about," Ms Symes said.
"I think it's South Australian farmers who are missing out on the expertise that's coming from Victoria, whether they be harvest contractors and agronomists, and I am willing to work with him for exemptions for some of these very specialised roles."
The Victorian Farmers Federation welcomed the announcement of the farmer permit, which it called for last week, to ensure the movement of people and products into parts of NSW.
VFF president David Jochinke said the organisation and Australia's farming groups had been holding emergency talks daily given the serious concerns about the impacts of border restrictions on the agricultural supply chain.
Mr Jochinke said Victorian agriculture contributed almost $40 billion to the Victorian economy.
"We don't just farm for our respective states, we farm for Australia," Mr Jochinke said.
"We needed a common-sense approach so that we can continue to do our job which is to feed the nation."
He said the VFF was aware that permit applications to travel further than 100km into NSW would be assessed on a case-by-case basis and would be monitoring the impact of that condition on the farming community.
"As worried as we were about the issues on the NSW border, we are now as equally concerned with the border in South Australia which is unworkable," Mr Jochinke said.
"The South Australian Government should immediately look at what's been introduced on the NSW border and adopt the same approach."
Mr Jochinke said the VFF would continue to discuss the border closures with both the Victorian and federal Agriculture Ministers to try and seek a solution.
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Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
