Kiwi shearers in Western Australia (WA) are already planning to return to New Zealand after the country announced its border reopening plan.
WA Liberal upper house member Steve Martin says the feared exodus of shearers could make an already stressed industry worse. (File image) Photo: 123rf.com
If they do return, WA's wool industry may be unable to keep up with demands for shearing, putting animal welfare and lambs' lives at risk.
Aromia Ngarangioni, a shearer in the Great Southern region of WA, estimates 60 percent of shearers working in WA are New Zealanders.
Like many, it has been years since Ngarangioni has been able to go home.
She has not returned to New Zealand since her mother's funeral in 2020 and needs to go back to complete the rituals.
"It's been very difficult emotionally," Ngarangioni said.
With shearers already in incredible demand on WA farms, Ngarangioni received a pay rise only two days ago.
She loves her job and wants to return to work after visiting her family in New Zealand.
However, under WA's present border restrictions and strict international arrivals cap, it is unlikely she or others in her all-Kiwi shearing team will be able to come back.
Shearers desperately needed
Shearing contractor Greg McAtamney runs several teams in the Great Southern region of WA.
"I'll probably lose six to eight people straight away, maybe more. That's an entire team," he said.
If this happens, he does not expect to meet farmers' needs for shearers at a crucial time of the year.
"A lot of sheep are due to lamb in April or May, so they need to be shorn four to six weeks before that for animal welfare reasons," he said.
"If not, the sheep will start aborting, and the lambs might die inside them."
WA Liberal upper house member Steve Martin said the feared exodus could make an already stressed industry worse.
"They [the shearers] work longer and longer hours," he said.
"The farmers get their shearing dates pushed back.
A WA state government spokesperson said it was working closely with industry to manage the shearer shortage.
"Industry can now make applications to bring in from interstate workers with specialist skills that are not otherwise reasonably available in WA," the spokesperson said.
"Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis."
No mandatory quarantine for Kiwis in NZ
However, for International arrivals, little has changed on the WA border since plans to reopen this week were scrapped.
Only 265 international arrivals are permitted into WA each week - about half the capacity of a single passenger jet.
According to the WA government website: "The international arrivals cap is based on the latest health advice to ensure people can safely quarantine within the State's quarantine facilities and is not currently planned to increase after February 5."
International arrivals, including WA residents and citizens, must generally either pay for business class tickets for a chance at being included in the cap or travel via other states at their own expense.
"From 5 February, interstate arrivals that meet specialist skills exemption criteria will be allowed to enter WA," a WA government spokesperson said.
However, all entrants to WA, who must be fully vaccinated, "need to quarantine for 14 days at a suitable premise - which may include on-farm, if the farm has premises at which workers can safely isolate, and subject to the latest health advice."
Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said fully vaccinated Kiwis and other currently eligible travellers from Australia would be able to travel to New Zealand from 27 February without going into a managed isolation facility.
Instead, they would have to self-isolate, she said.
"Two weeks later, travellers from the rest of the world will also be able to come without going through mandatory quarantine," Ardern said.
-ABC