September 5, 2022
Two young people from Mongolia who arrived in Brisbane mid-way through August are spearheading a potential new source of labour for Australian farmers.
The couple – Khishigdelger Khurelbaatar and Turbat Lkhamsuren – were brought to Australia under a Work and Holiday Maker cultural exchange program brokered between the Australian and Mongolian governments.
From July 1, 100 young Mongolians will be allowed to enter Australia under the arrangement, and in return 100 young Australians can travel to Mongolia for a similar life-shaping experience.
Mongolia is the 47th country to be added to the program and although it’s one of the most sparsely populated nations on Earth, its strong horse riding culture and extensive rural areas give many of its citizens a potential affinity with rural Australia
Khishigdelger, 23, is a journalist with a degree from the Mongolian State University of Arts and Culture in Ulaanbaatar; and Turbat Lkhamsuren, 25, has a degree in Humanities and has previously worked as a chef.
The couple spent their first four days in Brisbane getting to know what life is like in the Queensland capital.
After this, they travelled to Hidden Gold Homestead at Moffatdale for a five-day induction course in rural Australian life run by Australian Working Adventures.
And now that they’ve completed the course, they’ll have a choice of placements in a range of rural jobs where demand for labour is high.
VisitOz’s Joanna Burnet, from Australian Working Adventures, said that after two years with virtually no international visitors because of the pandemic, the tap was slowly being turned on again for young travellers who wanted to enjoy a working holiday in Australia.
“More than 40,000 working holidaymakers have arrived in Australia since our international borders opened to them on December 15 last year,” she said.
Joanna said working holiday makers support regional Australia by providing local businesses with access to more workers.
They also often fill labour gaps in agriculture, hospitality and healthcare, supporting critical industries and contributing to the Australian economy.
Joanna said countries currently leading the return of backpackers include the Netherlands, Germany, UK, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, France, Denmark, Canada and the USA.
Other markets – which have been slower to recover – include Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Finland, Belgium, Spain and Italy.
However, she is hopeful the Mongolian agreement will pave the way for more backpackers from the north Asian country in the future.
“Australia has a prosperous Mongolian community numbering about 6500 people,” she said.
“And more than 600 Mongolians have studied here on an Australia Awards scholarship since 1993.”
