Sydney News: NSW Government to subsidise fruit picker quarantine costs

Here’s what you need to know this morning.

Agricultural quarantine subsidy

The NSW government will subsidise half the quarantine costs for overseas agricultural workers in a bid to address critical labour shortages in the sector.

The cost of mandatory quarantine was a significant barrier for farming businesses wanting to employ overseas workers, Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said.

Overseas agricultural workers entering the country under the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) or Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) will be eligible for a 50 per cent subsidy, reducing the cost to industry from $3,000 per person to $1,500…