Cafe owners calls for visa changes to stop backpackers leaving WA’s holiday hotspots

A unique classification of Rottnest Island as “remote” is creating difficulties for businesses in Western Australia’s South West region, which are facing labor shortages in the hospitality sector.

Visa rules costing businesses

Under current regulations, backpackers can qualify for a second-year working holiday visa by completing 88 days of hospitality work on Rottnest Island, despite its proximity of just 33 kilometers to Perth’s city center. However, this opportunity is not extended to hospitality jobs in the South West, where farm work is the only eligible option for those seeking to extend their visas.

The Australian government designates Rottnest Island as a remote location, placing it on par with towns located hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away.

The Department of Home Affairs has emphasized that the primary goal of working holiday visas is cultural exchange, rather than providing a long-term workforce.

Hotel and food businesses in areas like Pemberton and Margaret River, up to 300km south of Perth, have expressed a desire to retain trained staff. Cafe owner Alessandro Fucci noted that trained hospitality workers are leaving Margaret River to pursue work in more remote areas to meet visa requirements. “All of a sudden they have to go to chase those 88 days,” he said. “Our economy down here is based on backpackers. These people have to leave to find a job to extend their visa.”

Argentinian backpacker Delfina Artero, working in hospitality in Margaret River, explained that she would need to complete 88 days of farm work to qualify for a second visa. “I need to do the farm work but I don’t know where yet,” she said. “It’s a pity we have to leave our work [at the cafe] just for three months of [farm] work, for the visa.”

Difficult to attract staff to Rottnest

Business owners on Rottnest Island have defended the island’s “remote” designation. Brindle Group executive director Hollie Brindle, who runs five stores on the island including a bakery, stated that attracting workers to Rottnest is challenging due to limited accommodation options. “The key difference here [is] there is the A-class reserve [status] where you can’t live on the island unless you have a job. There’s no private residential opportunities,” she said. “There’s nowhere to stay. Relying on commuting and ferries can get costly and complex, and therefore not as appealing for the workers.”

Expand hospitality work

The call to expand eligible work options extends beyond Margaret River. Lisa Radomiljac, who runs The Pemberley winery and farm shop in Pemberton, 300km from Perth, stated she often has to decline backpackers seeking farm work at her winery. “What I would love to see is them [the Department of Home Affairs] open up hospitality as an option,” she said. “I know a lot of hospitality venues in our region are really struggling to get workers.”

Remote employers have also noted that, despite visa rules incentivizing farm work, it can still be difficult to attract backpackers away from coastal areas to undertake farm work.

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson stated that any potential changes to working holiday visas would be considered as part of an ongoing review, which aims to ensure the program “supports labour market objectives in regional Australia, while minimising the risk of worker exploitation.”