By Abbey Cannan
Local producers came together on Thursday to showcase their goods through a specially crafted menu from Noosa’s only dedicated seafood restaurant, Fish Parkridge.
Federal Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud and Federal Member for Wide Bay and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Llew O’Brien enjoyed tastings and demonstrations from the agribusinesses exhibiting, including Boiling Pot Brewery, Cooloola Berries, Amrita Park Meadery, Hive Haven native bees, BOSS bio-organic fertiliser and Big Heart Bamboo.
Dishes included ingredients such as Walker’s Seafood, Noosa Reds tomatoes, Hervey Bay Scallops, Hum Honey, Mooloolaba Prawns and Moya Valley Poultry.
Minister Littleproud said it was exciting to see the local producers being showcased.
“When you can grow it locally, you’re going to see the local community come together,“ he said.
“This is one of the benefits of Covid-19. I think people have awoken to agriculture, awoken to what we do here in Australia, and we should be proud of it and we should buy it.“
Minister Littleproud said he was concerned about the lack of backpackers causing a shortage of workers for Queensland farmers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We made available 25,000 men and women from 10 Pacific Nations, so they are ready to come. The Queensland Government simply has to give the health tick and we will stamp the Visas,“ he said.
“We’ve also given the opportunity for in-country quarantining for people from Vanuatu and Fiji. We’re encouraging the Queensland Government to have faith in the health system to give these people the tick to come over here.
“Our Chief Medical Officer has ticked this off so we need the Queensland Government to do it and we can get these 25,000 men and women on the ground tomorrow.“
The Palaszczuk Government said they are working closely with the industry to bring more quarantine capacity online for agricultural workers to work on Queensland farms.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said the industry will be boosted by the arrival of more than 550 Pacific workers over the next two months, to complement the 1223 that have already arrived and started work.
“More than 76 new Pacific workers will arrive to start work in the Burdekin tomorrow, followed by 160 in the Lockyer Valley and another 72 in the Wide Bay region in the next couple of weeks,” Mr Furner said.
“Another 245 workers will arrive to work in Central, North and Far North Queensland before the end of May.
“The thousands of seasonal jobs on offer every season in Queensland have always been filled by a balance of local and overseas workers.”
Other assistance from the Queensland Government includes; Supporting applications and COVID compliance for on-farm quarantine facility approvals, helping farmers find local workforce solutions through the Queensland Agricultural Workforce Network, incentives up to $1500 to help Queensland workers with travel and accommodation costs to take up farm work; and the launch of the #PickQld campaign to attract more Australian workers to Queensland farms.
