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MARK COLVIN: What's become of the scheme that the Rudd Government introduced to bring Pacific workers into the country for fruit picking? It's been in place for 18 months but so far the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme has only issued 137 of 2,500 possible visas.
So why has a similar scheme in New Zealand had a far higher take-up rate?
Liv Casben has this report from Auckland.
(Sound of tractors)
LIV CASBEN: It's apple picking season in Hawke's Bay and workers on Len Thompson's farm are flat out. It's one of eight orchards operated by the apple farmer who employs 200 workers across the region.
LEN THOMPSON: Currently we have 75 from Samoa. And they're divided amongst the eight orchard managers and to give us that surety of labour on a daily basis. We know they are going to be there each day and we can rely on them and plan on that.
LIV CASBEN: Len Thompson is a fourth generation farmer. His family company Yummy Fruit produces around a million boxes of apples a year. But four years ago when a labour shortage was declared in the Hawkes Bay area he looked to his Pacific neighbours for help.
LEN THOMPSON: We find or historically...