30 January 2007
Australia South Australia’s tuna industry wants governments to help it plan for an exodus of employees to the mining industry.
The mining boom is being blamed for a labor shortage in the aquaculture industry with one aquaculture operation saying it has no choice but to employ Indonesian workers.
President of the Tuna Boat Owners Association, Brian Jeffriess, says it is inevitable more foreign labor will be needed in the tuna industry.
He says governments need to start planning for a situation that has already hit other states. “In South Australia... the mining boom, outside Roxby for example, is only just starting. When it does start - and it’s a welcome thing – it’s going to draw significant labor resources out of the traditional towns like Port Lincoln,†he said. “All those are good for South Australia, it’s a question of how we plan to achieve a long-term balance.â€
