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It is not true that they mainly (or even significantly) employ chinese on Australian Farms - these farms are generally managed by the previous owners or manager

It is not true that they mainly (or even significantly) employ chinese on Australian Farms - these farms are generally managed by the previous owners or managers and staffed by Australians, with australian Agronomists. In actual fact, very little changes on a day to day basis, except there is more funds available for infrastructure and capital goods purchase (and property values are driven up). Which, when you think about it, makes the best managerial sense - What the hell is a chinese person going to do coming to australia and farming - they don't know the conditions, they don't know the land - that's a quick way to destroy all the value they hope to create. Local know-how is essential in agriculture. + they wouldn't be able to get enough on 457's to come in and run it even if they wanted to import all their workers. Source: Australian, from a farm, neighbouring farms have been purchased by chinese buyers

icantdrive55 9y ago
Unless the farm buyer is a citizen of Australia, doesn't it bother the average citizen that foreigners can buy businesses, and property? Plus--doesn't Australia worry about nutrient depletion of their farm lands for food sent overseas? Once those nutrients are gone; they are stuck with buying nutrients/fertilizer forever. Plus--it's an island, with I imagine limited farming land?) Yes, in the USA we let anyone basically buy our land too. Want a house--just pick up the tele. I don't feel it's right. I'll probally get hammered for this post, but I just don't get it. Plus--we can't own squat in most of these emerging countries.
robbiep 9y ago
to the dead post: Australia has always relied on capital inflows for infrastructure and capital improvement. in the 30s-50s it was from the UK, the 60s and 70s from the US (especially with the growth and introduction of Cotton in Australia), the 80-90s from Japan, and now China. All those waves of investment have come with fears of 'takeovers' and all of them have passed. maybe the current one will go for longer, who knows. Fear of foreign ownership are a little overhyped; they can't take the land with them and they must be good stewards of it in order to earn good returns. And they must employ locals in order to do that too - which has brought revitalisation to some regional areas that have gone through downturns.
iamshs 9y ago
Well Shepparton and Mooroopna has quite a substantial number if Chinese farm workers. In Safeway, nearly whole Saturday is busy with Chinese farm workers shopping. I haven't really enquired on which specific farm they work, because they generally shun interaction and also due to language barrier. Also, Shepparton has a substantial Punjabi farming population and I can tell you from experience that the farmers do take inputs from Tatura Agricultural institute but the management to production to packing is all Punjabis. Your comment is significantly false information. Shepparton is filled with people who don't have local know-how, but have developed it.
- pm90 9y ago
  Punjabis are from India and Pakistan, not from China, if that wasn't clear to you. They have a reputation as good workers in agri businesses. See this article about how they invigorated Italy's cheese business: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/world/europe/08iht-italy08.html?mcubz=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/world/europe/08iht-italy08... (The article references most workers as being Sikhs. Sikhs are adherents of the religion of Sikhism, but I believe nearly all of them are ethnically Punjabis)
- sfifs 9y ago
  Sounds like you might be unsure whether they are foreign contract workers or immigrants. Punjabis would almost certainly be immigrants
sumedh 9y ago
> What the hell is a chinese person going to do coming to australia and farming Met 2 Chinese guys from China in a hostel in Melbourne who could speak little, they said there going to work on a farm somewhere in rural Aus and lot of other other people from their village where working there. I didnt ask if they were working legally or not.

icantdrive55 9y ago

Unless the farm buyer is a citizen of Australia, doesn't it bother the average citizen that foreigners can buy businesses, and property? Plus--doesn't Australia worry about nutrient depletion of their farm lands for food sent overseas? Once those nutrients are gone; they are stuck with buying nutrients/fertilizer forever. Plus--it's an island, with I imagine limited farming land?) Yes, in the USA we let anyone basically buy our land too. Want a house--just pick up the tele. I don't feel it's right. I'll probally get hammered for this post, but I just don't get it. Plus--we can't own squat in most of these emerging countries.

robbiep 9y ago

to the dead post: Australia has always relied on capital inflows for infrastructure and capital improvement. in the 30s-50s it was from the UK, the 60s and 70s from the US (especially with the growth and introduction of Cotton in Australia), the 80-90s from Japan, and now China. All those waves of investment have come with fears of 'takeovers' and all of them have passed. maybe the current one will go for longer, who knows. Fear of foreign ownership are a little overhyped; they can't take the land with them and they must be good stewards of it in order to earn good returns. And they must employ locals in order to do that too - which has brought revitalisation to some regional areas that have gone through downturns.

iamshs 9y ago

Well Shepparton and Mooroopna has quite a substantial number if Chinese farm workers. In Safeway, nearly whole Saturday is busy with Chinese farm workers shopping. I haven't really enquired on which specific farm they work, because they generally shun interaction and also due to language barrier. Also, Shepparton has a substantial Punjabi farming population and I can tell you from experience that the farmers do take inputs from Tatura Agricultural institute but the management to production to packing is all Punjabis. Your comment is significantly false information. Shepparton is filled with people who don't have local know-how, but have developed it.

pm90 9y ago
Punjabis are from India and Pakistan, not from China, if that wasn't clear to you. They have a reputation as good workers in agri businesses. See this article about how they invigorated Italy's cheese business: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/world/europe/08iht-italy08.html?mcubz=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/world/europe/08iht-italy08... (The article references most workers as being Sikhs. Sikhs are adherents of the religion of Sikhism, but I believe nearly all of them are ethnically Punjabis)
sfifs 9y ago
Sounds like you might be unsure whether they are foreign contract workers or immigrants. Punjabis would almost certainly be immigrants

sumedh 9y ago

> What the hell is a chinese person going to do coming to australia and farming Met 2 Chinese guys from China in a hostel in Melbourne who could speak little, they said there going to work on a farm somewhere in rural Aus and lot of other other people from their village where working there. I didnt ask if they were working legally or not.