Mr Reynolds, Albany lilium grower:
"AU: "Changes to Working Holiday Visa system will spell the end of business"
Mr Reynolds said that his lilium flower farm on the outskirts of Albany relies heavily on volunteer workers in the face of cheaper imports and rising production costs.
Labour-intensive crops, such as flowers and cherry tomatoes, will be dropped by small-scale, local producers and no longer be available at farmers markets, he said.
"If this goes through, there's probably a good chance we'll have to close and therefore a flower farm that has been here for ten, eleven years will no longer be here."
In early May, the Federal Government announced reforms to the 417 working holiday visa, making it compulsory for young workers to produce a payslip in order to apply for a second year visa extension. The changes are expected to be phased in over the coming year.
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