2016-12-03
Today Greens Senators for Tasmania Peter Whish-Wilson and Nick McKim were thanked by representatives of the Tasmanian agricultural community for stepping up and solving the political impasse over the backpacker tax including Glynn Williams, President of Primary Employers Tasmania, Keith Rice, Chief Executive of Poppy Growers Tasmania, Michael Bakhaazi of the Australian Institute of Marine Power Engineers and Phil Pyke of Fruit Growers Tasmania for a press conference in Salamanca, Hobart.
Greens Senator for Tasmania and Treasury Spokesperson, Peter Whish-Wilson says the result he helped broker this week on the backpacker tax will allow Tasmania's agricultural business to sleep easy.
The Senator called for political unity on the outcome.
"The tourism sector and today the agricultural sector thanked the Greens for fixing the government's political mess. They all think the backpacker tax outcome is a good one for their industries and Tasmania, in fact the only people opposed to this result are the Labor party.
"I call on the Labor party to stop using this issue to score political points, enough damage has been done already. For the sake of all agricultural business and the farming community across Australia, put the politics aside and get behind this outcome and promote it so we can get more backpackers to Australia.
"Every time Labor bags this deal, it hurts farmers".
"I have been working with local growers for months on the issue. It needed to be fixed. We all needed to resolve it.
"My message to backpackers is 'Come to Tasmania! Pick fruit. Earn money. Go surfing and enjoy our amazing national parks,' he concluded.
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