Backpackers say visa changes reduce incentive to do jobs many Aussies avoid

Sweeping wine residue from a tank in the heat of the day is no-one's idea of a dream job, and there is only one reason Meghan Morris is doing it.

The Irish backpacker is willing to get her hands dirty in exchange for a visa.

"You're not going to do it unless you have to," she said.

Now enjoying her third year in Australia, Ms Morris has no complaints about the conditions at Griffith's De Bortoli wines in the NSW Riverina.

But she remembers some of her previous jobs in a less flattering light.

"The conditions in some of the places are pretty bad," she said.

"Some places you might not have running water in the bathroom or a lunch room.

"You're sitting outside in the field eating your lunch in the sun because you might not have shade, you kind of just deal with it."

Backpackers often take the jobs many Australians seem unwilling to do on the basis they have a guaranteed stay in the country.

But Ms Morris said recent visa changes meant there was now much less incentive.

"It's like a lottery system … why waste the time doing it if the chance is so low?" she said.

Backpackers were previously guaranteed a second-year visa in return for 88 days of regional or rural work in their first year in Australia.

But now, they will have to enter a ballot system if they wish to stay longer than a year.

The number of visas on offer will also be significantly reduced, with second-year visas dropping from 57,000 this year to 45,000 and third-year visas declining from 31,000 to 5,000.

First-year Chilean backpacker Catalina Quiroga said with an uncertain future in Australia, regional work was no longer worth it.

"It makes me think about whether it's worth the effort, the money, and everything we put into it," she said.

"I would go to Sydney or Melbourne and enjoy the city, versus being in the countryside."

Argentinian backpacker Javier Rodriguez has picked onions, packed produce and gardened during his time in Australia.

He said the prospect of a renewed visa and an extended stay was what made it worthwhile.

"You come here, you're far away from everything, it's a small town, it's very hot and the incentive was you get to extend your stay, but now that is all gone," he said.

"I'd rather go to the Gold Coast and just enjoy my time there instead of coming to work here under 50 degrees.

"They [locals] can't believe how we do it, how we leave our comfort zone, leave our homes and come to do that and we just kind of stand it."

Nation's food bowl 'reliant' on backpackers

In Young in southern NSW, cherry grower Tom Eastlake said backpackers were essential for the six-week spring harvest about to get underway ahead of Christmas.

"If you've got a seasonal crop that needs to come off in a very defined amount of time, and you haven't got the workers, you won't get the crop off," he said.

Mr Eastlake said the horticulture industry was heavily reliant on the seasonal workforce and losing them could be "catastrophic", amid existing pressures including rising fuel and fertiliser prices.

"If we want to enjoy the best quality fruit and vegetables in the world at the highest possible food standards, we need to support that industry and make sure we're not making sudden changes," he said.

In a statement, a Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said it would work with the agriculture, tourism and hospitality sectors on how changes to how the working holiday maker (WHM) program will be implemented.

"The number of WHMs in Australia is at a historically high level. The reforms to the WHM program are designed to manage demand, support a fairer allocation of visas and ensure the long-term sustainability and integrity of the program."

Wine producer Darren De Bortoli said during the three-month vintage season, which begins in January, backpackers made up 85 per cent of his workforce.

"Without them, we wouldn't be able to function," the Griffith winemaker said.

"Backpackers are a very important part of rural Australia, as is our general immigration community."

Mr Rodriguez, who now works in product development at De Bortoli Wines, said backpackers brought more to regional communities than economic benefits.

"I've met a lot of people who have never left Griffith,' he said.

"They get a lot of multiculturalism from us; they get a different view of what's out there.