Asylum seekers put their hands up to fill labour shortage in regional Victoria

Just a few months ago, Mizamu Mahari could not have imagined he would be living on a farm two hours from Melbourne, gingerly stepping into a saddle on a horse.

“To be honest, it’s not like the city,” he said.

The 28 year-old electrical specialist from Ethiopia is one of six asylum seekers who came from Melbourne in mid-November to help fill the huge demand for agricultural labour.

“I’ve never been outside of the city, so I was afraid for the first time … now, it’s getting better and better and we adapt to this,” Mr Mahari said.

The six asylum seekers come from countries including Ethiopia, Iran, and Bangladesh.

They are just some of the asylum seekers and refugees who are filling agricultural jobs across the country.

But clearing the…