Australia's alpine resorts push to be part of Working Holiday Maker scheme

Australia Broadcast Center

11 hours ago

Portuguese tourists Inês Carvalhido and Rúben Vasques arrived in Australia a year ago and have enjoyed travelling on a working holiday visa, making their way down the east coast, working and volunteering in a variety of jobs.
They received a second-year visa extension after completing 88 days of work in Airlie Beach, as well as volunteering at a forest restoration project in Gippsland.
So as winter approached, a job at a ski resort looked appealing.
"Working in a ski field [is] a very different experience … and it's very appealing [because] we can get accommodation there," Ms Carvalhido said.
Australia's Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program requires non-UK holiday-makers to complete 88 days of work in a regional area, often in farming or construction.
Visa holders can also work within the tourism or hospitality industries, but only for businesses located in "northern or remote or very remote Australia".
However, for Mr Vasques and Ms Carvalhido, their work at Falls Creek won't count toward a further extension because the resort is not in a designated remote area.
Mr Vasques said it also caused some frustrations when looking for work.
"Through our experience we had times where [employers] were looking for workers but were having a hard time employing because the work [that was offered] didn't go towards the 88 days to extend the visa," he said.
The president of the Falls Creek Chamber of Commerce, Michelle Lovell, is advocating for ski resorts to be considered as part of the 88 days needed in the WHM scheme.
"Sometimes we call ourselves snow farmers, [even though] it's obviously very different to agriculture," she said.
"[Seasonal work] is the same here [at ski resorts] but we aren't part of the program."
But she said that ski businesses would benefit from unique skills if they diversify their workforce.
The demand for the working holiday visa has been growing since border re-openings after the COVID pandemic with 194,000 visa applications granted in the 2023-'24 financial year, up from about 178,000 visas in 2022-'23.
That number has already grown in the 2024-25 financial year so far with 200,180 visa applications granted up until March 31 and another three months left to run.
A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said they were evaluating regional migration settings and the WHM program "to ensure migration supports development objectives in regional Australia without contributing to the exploitation of migrant workers".
"Any changes to WHM program settings, including specified work requirements, will be considered in this context and will take into account stakeholder views, immigration risks, labour market impacts and protections for vulnerable workers." the spokesperson said.