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INNOVATION IN PRACTICE
Five Minutes Q&A with Andrew Weidemann AM
Traditional trade skills from the past are key to Australia’s agricultural future.
1MG: Where did this problem come from? AW: COVID has obviously made it worse in recent times but other factors also come into play. During the late 1980s to early 1990s, governments around Aus- tralia unfortunately closed down most of the technical colleges around the country while also changing the education agenda more towards academic skills in computing, accountancy and related disciplines. We as a nation are now paying the price for these decisions but we need to turn this around and continue to pro- mote food production and agriculture as a great place to work and career option. 1MG: Is this problem isolated to agriculture? AW: I’m afraid not. What is becoming clear is the strong need for hands-on trade skills across Australia’s wider economy aimed at young people in building, en- gineering and plumbing as the cost of housing escalates on the back of a clear lack of people to manufacture and build legacy constructions. Governments need to invest more in trade skilled oriented areas to maintain a strong manufacturing skillset. The retirement of the nation’s baby boomers is placing further pressure on a need for these traditional technical skills. COVID-19 seems to have lowered the priority of this issue on the national agenda. We need to invest in the skills for tomorrows food, construction and fibre sector or we will struggle to feed – house – clothe people in Australia and the world. Escalating fuel prices at the moment, with only two old refineries in Australia, is risking a perfect storm scenario with disastrous implications for food security. 1MG: What are some specific skills shortages for farm businesses? AW: In the agricultural profession, there is now a critical need for skilled workers able to perform a var- iety of functions to run the farm business including: driving trucks (GPS equipment) and tractors, head-
1MG: What do you see as some of the big issues fa- cing Australian agriculture in the coming few years? AW: One of the key messages from the COVID-19 public health crisis over the last two-plus years is our improved understanding of just how fragile food pro- duction systems can be. To see supermarket shelves empty of food is a stark reminder of just why agriculture in this country and around the world is so important. Perhaps, for at least a few decades in this country, we have all taken food security for granted and the role of farmers in producing food. As a farmer myself, one of the biggest issues facing Australian agriculture today is skilled labour and finding people prepared to work outdoors and appreciate the wonderful aspects of pro- ducing food and fibre to feed a hungry planet. 1MG: How serious is this agricultural workforce issue? AW: In my three decades working as a farmer, I’ve never seen such a labour crisis in agriculture as we have now. COVID-19 has had a lot to do with causing these shortages, with international border closures impacting our ability to access overseas workers to do important jobs at critical times such as seeding or harvest. It’s more important than ever that we today continue to in- vest in training people locally here in Australia to work in the various occupations in agriculture and help produce food. Progress in agriculture, like most other industries, has seen the ability for farmers to do more with fewer people. However, we still need the personnel to manage production programs, and produce the food and fibre we need, especially with farm scale growing and popu- lations shrinking in regional centres and country towns. We need to re-populate the regional areas of Australia and that starts with all of us contributing where we can to ensure the food producers of tomorrow have the skills and mindset to keep farming.
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