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ONE of the country's biggest beef processors is calling for the federal government's support to help fill hundreds of job vacancies.
Teys Australia, which employees hundreds of locals at its Tamworth site, believes it is in direct competition with the federal government's JobSeeker scheme.
Teys manager of corporate and industry affairs John Langbridge said the company is receiving fewer job applications than at any time in its recent history, because unemployed people are opting to go on JobSeeker instead.
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"JobSeeker was a good temporary measure to support the economy but Teys feels as though it is now competing with the government for workers," Mr Langbridge said.
"There are many pathways for advancement in this industry and we also offer training programs that can upskill workers into better paying jobs.
"Processing plants are not what many expect, in the food manufacturing sector, hygiene and food safety is paramount, so this ensures a high-quality work environment."
Adding to the company's worries is the lack of available international workers and interstate workers due to COVID-19 induced travel restrictions.
Parkes MP Mark Coulton said opening up state borders could play a pivotal role in helping companies like Teys fill the void.
"There's no doubt border closures are certainly impacting on people's ability to travel for work," Mr Coulton told the Leader.
"The Commonwealth has never agreed with border closures, we agree we should deal with coronavirus where it occurs.
"The border closures are a massive deal, quite clearly all the border communities and quite a way down from the borders, are being heavily impacted. We need to bring the borders down."
Tamworth is among the list of Teys sites with job vacancies and Mr Coulton said encouraging more city people to come to regional areas was key to combating the problem.
"Teys is certainly not alone, I was in Dubbo recently and saw one facility alone had 150 job vacancies," he said.
"I think it's time we really start to advocate to people in the city about how much regional areas have going for them.
"To anyone looking to go onto JobSeeker, I would say that is a very short-term solution and trying to fill a job vacancy would be a better way to go.
"From the government's perspective, we can't just cancel these types of programs because it would likely start World War III, but we can continue to encourage people to explore the opportunities that are on offer in regional areas."
Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud told the Leader he was confident the Agricultre Workers Code would help companies like Teys fill their vacancies.
"Getting Australians into jobs in agriculture has been a high priority for the government and we are looking at options for get more Australians into the jobs that are there in the sector," Mr Littleproud said.
"Teys have raised concerns around access to workers and the potential impact of government payments as well as state and states border restrictions on their ability to access the workers they need.
"The adoption of the Agricultural Worker Code last week by five jurisdictions should also help to relieve some of the challenges for the meat sector."