SEDA news and events
Please note that a new set of Horticulture Seasonal Workforce Directions have been issued from the DHHS. Please refer here for detailed information referring to pages 19 to 23 that specifically cover Horticulture. These directions are specific to seasonal workers only and not to ongoing workers.
Employers have until the 24th October 2020 to review and ensure they have the correct COVID Safe processes and procedures in place.
The National Fruit Fly Council will be holding a series of short online workshops during October and November 2020 to gather information from ‘the ground up’ on fruit fly issues across Australia. At these workshops we want to hear about grower fruit fly challenges and priorities so we can make sure that a wide variety of experiences are represented at the national table.
Workshop #1: 9.30am-11.30am, Tuesday 20 October. (Register here)
Workshop #2: 1.30pm-3.30pm, Thursday 5 November. (Register here)
Enter your name and email address in the registration form and submit. Wait for an email confirmation of your registration and then use the links provided in the email confirmation to add the Zoom meeting to your calendar.
Each workshop will include discussions around two key themes:
- Protecting production – in-field management, chemical limitations, exotic fruit flies, etc.
- Market access – domestic and export trade, treatment options, research, etc.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for your industry
The Victorian Government has developed an Business Resilience Package to support businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic and recently announced a third round of the Business Support Fund. Businesses across the state dealing with significant challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic can access information by calling the Business Victoria hotline on 13 22 15 or visiting their
COVID-19 cases in the workplace
The Department of Health and Human Services has advice for businesses on what to do if any of your employees show symptoms of COVID-19 or test positive. Use these instructions and tools to create clear policies and procedures for your business so you can keep your business, workers and customers safe by controlling possible outbreaks. You should also be aware that employers must notify WorkSafe about a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 in the workplace
• 1 July 2020
• 1 November 2020
• 1 February 2021.
The Horticulture Award falls into Group 2 Awards, which means that the increase to that Award will apply from the first full pay period on or after 1 November 2020. For anyone not covered by an award or an enterprise agreement, the new national minimum wage will be $753.80 per week or $19.84 per hour. For more information see https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/.
If you are uncertain what you should be paying an employer, the Fair Work Ombudsman has a helpful Pay Calculator which enables you to directly calculate their pay rate based on level of employment. For the Pay Calculator go to https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/
- National Landcare Program: Smart Farms Small Grants Round 4- Smart Farms Small Grants is an open, competitive, grant opportunity to support projects to increase farming, forestry and fishing communities’ awareness, knowledge, skills and capacity to adopt best practice sustainable agriculture. Closing date 9th October at 11pm. Click here for further information
- E-commerce and New Marketplace Transition Package- Assisting Victorian farmers and producers to transition to online markets and build business resilience and skills via grants to help pay the costs of: onboarding, online marketing and registration fees, freight and logistics, delivery fees, and online marketing support. Supporting producers and farmers to use online markets and marketplaces will make it easier and cheaper for Victorian consumers to support local farmers. A training program for farmers and producers will be provided as part of the package. Key online farmers’ markets and marketplaces will be contacted directly by the department about the package, but if you would like more information about support, please email:
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- Funding for Women's Leadership Development: Horticulture Sector- A pool of scholarships are currently available for women in the horticulture sector to participate in a range of leadership courses. EOI's close 9th October 2020. Visit the Women & Leadership Australia website for more information.
- Food Safety Challenges in the Fresh Produce Sector- Tuesday 6 October from 10am AEDT, 12pm NZDT via Zoom. This webinar will address current food safety issues in the fresh produce sector: identifying risks; examining some recent outbreaks; reviewing developments in regulation; and discussing emerging issues. Register here..
- COVID-19 and your workforce; Guidelines for the food processing industry- Tuesday 6 October from 2:00pm-3:00 pm. In this webinar you will hear from Deon Mahoney, the author of this Guide and Craig Shadbolt from the NSW Food Authority on strategies to keep your food processing operation running and your workforce safe. Register here...
- Horticulture to Indonesia: Market Access Under IA-CEPA- 8 October from 2pm-3:30pm. This webinar, led by the Department of Agriculture, and Hort Innovation is designed to bring industry from both Indonesia and Australia together to learn about new horticulture trade opportunities under IA-CEPA. Participants will also be able to engage via a moderated discussion. Register here...
- COVID-19 Business Webinar - Cyber Security- Thursday 1 October, 11 - 11:45am. In this Victorian Chamber COVID-19 Business Webinar, Chief Executive Paul Guerra will facilitate a discussion with three well-renowned experts in cyber security. Alastair MacGibbon, Chief Strategy Officer at CyberCX, Eric Eekhof, Cyber security practice lead at Pitcher Partners, and Clare Gleghorn, CEO of Bastion Reputation Management, to discuss how you can protect your business, employees and customers from cybercrime. Register here...
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