Grey nomads aren’t the only group of travellers who have found themselves stranded by the travel restrictions which have been imposed in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
And they aren’t the only group who have also occasionally faced the wrath of ‘angry townsfolk’ who have suddenly begun to resent their presence.
The ABC reports that backpackers in regional South Australia have allegedly had stones thrown at them and graffiti on a hostel’s bin has told them: ‘Go Home’.
British backpacker Roan Hodgson, who is staying at Harvest Trail Lodge in the town of Loxton, said it has been fairly unpleasant.
“The only place we can hang out, that is not in our rooms, is the balcony,” he told the ABC. “In the past few nights there has been people driving past screaming ‘go home’, and then a few nights ago people threw some stones onto us.”
Member for Chaffey and South Australia’s Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone said the abuse was ‘completely unacceptable’.
“Our backpackers are an important part of the local economy and seasonal community, and any discrimination towards them will not be tolerated,” he said.
Meanwhile, Derry Geber, who owns hostels in South Australia’s Barossa and McLaren Vale wine regions, said the two communities had become fearful of backpackers since a cluster of Covid-19 cases became linked to two tour groups from the US and Switzerland.
He said the stigmatisation has ended their job contracts, with some employers perceiving foreign workers as more likely to contract the virus.
With border closures, a ban of non-essential travel and very limited international flights available, many backpackers are ‘trapped’ in Australia.
German traveller Milan Scheunemann told the ABC that backpackers had been welcome in the community before the coronavirus outbreak … but that had now changed.
“We can’t go home and see our parents, so it is here where we built our own little family,” he said. “It is sad that we are treated like outsiders.”
If locals in some of these small towns would take the work that backpackers perform there would not be a need for backpackers. Areas in Australia like the Goulburn Valley, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Bundaberg region should have zero unemployment during their harvest seasons. Any person 18 to 45 should be able to be gainfully employed rather than being on “the dole” and complaining about how little they receive. At the moment any area that needs casual, seasonal workers relies on overseas workers to be able to process and produce.
I am amazed how many people who had a job and were laid of during this crisis have already managed to reassess and retrain for another job possibly completely different to what they were doing.
I agree completely
Bob, you hit the nail on the head; during the harvest season. But and it’s a big but, what do they do after harvest. No cockie wants to keep people on after harvest. The backpackers can earn enough to keep themselves in food and hostel accommodation and it’s not their permanent job. After they’ve had enough, back to their home country. I am glad I’m not on the unemployment queue.
Yes you have both nailed it. I am a bundy local and the farmers cant get locals to work, when they give them a go they either dont turn up or dont work when they get there.Someone needs to have the guts to say right if you dont turn up and work then you dont get the dole.There is plenty of work nearly all year round in the Bundaberg district,but the produce would lay in the paddock except for the backpackers.Stop the dole to the those able to work.Try and find a polly with the balls to do something. Stevo,
I agree with what you say, however there is another side to this. A few years ago, being an older unemployed couple we thought we could travel with our caravan and follow the harvest trail. Well, the labour hire company’s didn’t want to know us, possibly because we didn’t need overpriced accommodation, or maybe we couldn’t be exploited. We managed to get some grain harvest work, but nothing else. Then our jobs network provider demanded we attend their appointments or they would cancel our dole, even though we were reporting our earnings to Centrelink every fortnight. We found it was just too hard and gave up.
Without these young people, produce would not make the supermarket shelves, unfortunately our young people don’t want to be involved in hard work, these young people are doing your community an important service, so maybe treat them a little better before they decide they don’t want to be involved either
I think you all missed the point that is that anyone who is not a local is treated with suspicion and derision when times are a little tough, and its a lot worse if you look different.
There is an undercurrent of racism and intolerance that underpins the Australian culture and it bubbles to the surface quite quickly when something negative strikes. Grey Nomads should take note of which towns are treating people badly at the moment and keep away when things return to normal.
Yep there are some really really dumb people out there.
There can be some good dollars to make in seasonal produce do the locals do it NOOO
Drug alcohol testing should be mandatory for all dole recipients and reduce the dole amount so people say bugger that and get a job and a mandatory 20hrs a week community service while on the dole, get people out and about. Not paid to sit around and do nothing
Looks like Loxton will be given a miss when were back on the road. Foolish people.