It's never you, until it is.
Every death and injury on any farm is preventable.
You might think you’re bulletproof and know your land like the back of your hand.
But more people die on farms than other workplaces - let's change that.
You can prevent accidents. You can prevent deaths.

The Worksafe Victoria website offers valuable resources to assist in providing a safe workplace.

Visit the Worksafe website to access resources to help keep your workplace safe...

• From 6pm on Friday 26 March, masks will no longer be required in retail settings but Victorians will still need to carry one with them at all times and wear it on public transport, in rideshare vehicles and taxis and in sensitive settings such as aged care facilities and hospitals.
• Victorians will be able to host up to 100 people in their home per day. Outdoor gatherings in public places – the beach, the park – can also increase to 200 people.
• Visit the DHHS website for further information on the latest restrictions update

Hosted by the National Fruit Fly Council, the symposium will workshop several key fruit fly challenges and seek to identify priorities for building future national success.

Visit the 'Prevent Fruit Fly' website for more information...

• Victoria returns to COVIDSafe settings from 11:59pm Friday 26 February 2021.
• You must always carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave the home, unless you have a lawful reason not to.
• Face masks must be worn:
  • on public transport, in commercial passenger vehicles such as taxis and ride share vehicles, and in tour vehicles
  • by visitors to a hospital
  • by visitors at a care facility (while indoors)
  • indoors at shopping centres, retail facilities with 2,000 or more square metres of indoor space, markets and market stalls
  • on flights to and from Victoria and
  • at airports
  • if you are diagnosed or suspected of having COVID-19, or a close contact of someone diagnosed with COVID-19, when leaving your home or accommodation for a permitted reason, such as medical care or to get tested
  • while awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test when leaving your home or accommodation for a permitted reason, such as medical care (except as part of a surveillance or other asymptomatic testing program)
  • while experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.
• It is strongly recommended you wear a face mask when at a private gathering or when you cannot maintain 1.5 metres distance from other people (such as outdoor markets, outdoor concerts, street markets, at a busy bus stop or train station platform).
• There are a number of lawful reasons to not wear a face mask.

Face masks update

• COVIDSafe Summer - state-wide revised conditions came into effect from 11:59pm Wednesday 17 February 2021.
• You must always carry a face mask with you when you leave home unless you have a lawful reason not to.
• Face masks are mandatory in indoor spaces, unless you are visiting a private residence for a social gathering.
• In addition to indoor spaces, face masks continue to be mandatory in the following locations:
  • on public transport
  • when riding in a ride share or taxi
  • on domestic flights to and from Victoria
  • at airports
  • when visiting hospitals and care facilities.
• If you have visitors in your home, it is strongly recommended that face masks are worn during the visit. 
• Face masks are mandatory outdoors whenever you cannot keep 1.5 metres distance from others.

The Victorian Government is providing an extra $19.3 million for three key seasonal workforce initiatives:

• $10.5 million for the Seasonal Harvest Sign-on Bonus – a bonus of up to $2,430 for jobseekers who take up a seasonal harvest job in horticulture
• $7.8 million for the Victorian Government’s co-contribution to quarantine costs for Pacific workers. Approved Employers will contribute $2,000 per worker
•  $1 million for Seasonal Workforce Industry Support grants, giving a number organisations the dedicated resources they need to support local worker recruitment and retention activities in priority harvest regions and sectors.

Seasonal Harvest Sign-on Bonus 
The Seasonal Harvest Sign-on Bonus is designed to encourage jobseekers to give seasonal harvest work a go and give farmers the workforce they need. The bonus is paid directly to workers in two instalments:

• An initial $810, after 10 days of work within a 30-day period
• A further $1,620, after an additional 30 days of work within a 90-day period.

The program is available to workers who take up seasonal harvest roles on Victorian horticulture farms, provided they:

• meet the work requirements
• have not worked in agriculture in Victoria in the past three months
• start work on or after 17 February 2021
• are 18 years or older and have work rights in Australia
• are not employed under the Pacific Labour Scheme or Seasonal Worker Programme.

Workers will be required to provide evidence that they have met the work requirements, but don’t need to register for the bonus until they have completed their initial 10 days of work. The online application portal will open soon, at agriculture.vic.gov.au/bigharvest

You can download the Media Kit here to help aid promotion.

Download the Seasonal Harvest Sign-on Bonus factsheet here...