Does Agri Labour – Orchard Assistant (Hillston NSW almonds) count as specified work?

Yes. The work location's postcode 2675 is on the Department of Home Affairs Regional Australia list, and Plant and animal cultivation work can count towards your specified work days.

← Back

Farms and orchards・Almond orchard (labour hire job)

Agri Labour – Orchard Assistant (Hillston NSW almonds)

Q: Do I need a car for Agri Labour – Orchard Assistant (Hillston NSW almonds)?

To be confirmed. The ad requires a driver's licence but does not say whether you need your own car; Wikipedia says Hillston has had no public transport since the mid-1970s.

6.0Worth considering

Hillston, NSW 2675

Hiring now・Peak season Hiring started: 2026-09-16 ✓ Counts as specified work・Plant and animal cultivation ★ 4.6・Indeed

Casual orchard assistant at an almond orchard in Hillston (ChemCert chemical accreditation and a driver's licence required), recruited through labour hire company Agri Labour

Apply via online form

Last checked: 2026-10-08Before you apply

At a glance

Pay$33.55/hrAdvertised hourly rate Peak seasonYear-roundIn season now HoursAbout 38 hours a weekWeather-dependent AccommodationTo be confirmed TransportTo be confirmed LicencesChemCert chemical user accreditation+1 more Reviews★ 4.6/5Indeed · 19 reviews LegitimacyABN activeVia labour hire

Overall score

6.0/10・Worth considering

Pros

$33.55/hour + penalty rates
About 38 hours a week, possibly long-term
Postcode 2675 is eligible (plant and animal cultivation)

+1 more

Varied work (irrigation, pruning, spraying, picking, machinery)

Watch out for

Must have ChemCert chemical accreditation and a driver's licence
Through labour hire; the actual orchard name is not disclosed
The ad does not mention accommodation

+3 more

No public transport in Hillston; about 100 km from Griffith
Extremely hot summers (record 47.2°C)
The advertisement does not say whether the Working Holiday visa is accepted

How it is calculated

Calculated automatically from public information with a fixed formula — not scored by hand and not a paid ranking. Seven items are each scored 0–10 and combined as a weighted average.

✓ Meets the specified work requirementSpecified work eligibility is a threshold: locations that do not qualify are marked "Does not count"; qualifying ones get no extra points.

Online reviews25%4.5Average ★ 4.6 · 19 reviews (few reviews, so pulled towards 6); Official finding of underpayment (2019) −3

Pay transparency20%9.0Hourly rate, amount stated in the ad

Accommodation15%5.0To be confirmed

Transport10%5.5To be confirmed

Legal and transparent10%6.0ABN active, Via labour hire

Amenities10%5.0Remote; shopping is inconvenient

Weather10%7.0Climate data to be added; 7 for now

7.5 or above is "Recommend", 6.0–7.4 "Worth considering" and below 6.0 "Consider carefully". Items that are still to be confirmed score lower than confirmed good conditions; online ratings with few reviews are pulled towards the middle value of 6, and records of underpayment or official penalties from the last 10 years lower the score. Full calculation method

Specified work eligibility

✓ Counts as specified work

Postcode: 2675Regional Australia
Work category: Plant and animal cultivation

See full details

This location counts as specified work. Postcode 2675 is on the Department of Home Affairs "Regional Australia" list, and the work type is "Plant and animal cultivation".

Use the postcode of the work location — not the company's head office, and not where you live.

Work address

Almond orchard in Hillston NSW 2675 (orchard name and address not published)
Postcode 2675・Hillston (Lachlan River) · Map location is approximate
Open in Google Maps

Work category

Plant and animal cultivation
Harvesting and packing fruit and vegetables, pruning trees and vines, livestock work, and primary meat processing such as slaughtering, cutting and packing. Secondary processing such as winemaking or processed meats does not count.

Within one employer, not every role counts as specified work (for example office admin or cleaning depends on Home Affairs' current temporary concession). Check the label on each role below, and keep every payslip.How specified work days are counted

Note: on 17 September 2026 the government announced second and third visas will move to a ballot. Completing specified work makes you eligible to enter, but it no longer guarantees a visa (start date not yet announced).Details

Jobs

Roles: 1

Orchard assistantOrchard Assistant (ChemCert)

CasualCounts as specified work$33.55/hr

Valid ChemCert chemical user accreditation and a driver's licence required
Farm
Able to operate tractors and other farm machinery
+4 more

Duties & requirements

Orchard assistant (almond orchard)

Work duties

Planting, maintaining and caring for almond trees; operating and monitoring irrigation systems; pruning and training; applying fertiliser, herbicide and pesticide following safety procedures; checking for pests, disease and tree health; helping with the harvest (operating equipment after training); operating tractors, forklifts, sweepers, leaf blowers and other machinery; recording orchard data and general farm maintenance.

Pay method

Hourly rate
$33.55/hour, plus penalty rates (as stated in the ad).

Hours

About 38 hours a week, possibly more in peak season

Requirements

Valid ChemCert chemical user accreditation and a driver's licence required, Farm, horticulture or orchard experience a big plus, Able to operate tractors and other farm machinery, Can work in heat, dust and cold, Good communication, reliable, attention to detail

Licences

ChemCert chemical user accreditation (required), Driver's licence (essential)

Caring for fruit trees, pruning, irrigation, fertilising and spraying, and harvesting fall under plant and animal cultivation specified work; postcode 2675 passed the check. Source: https://www.agrilabour.com.au/candidates/current-positions/orchard-assistant-hillston-nsw-bbbh29600/ (Gumtree: https://www.gumtree.com.au/web/listing/other/1344613919)

About this employer

Work duties

Day-to-day almond orchard work: irrigation, pruning and training, fertilising and spraying, checking for pests and disease, helping with the harvest, driving tractors and other farm machinery, record keeping and general maintenance.

Work environment

Outdoor orchard work; the ad warns of heat, dust and cold.

Products & services

Almonds

1 casual / seasonal roles. Duties, requirements and required licences are listed separately.

Pay and superannuation

Hourly rate

Advertised pay: $33.55/hrAdvertised hourly rate
Legal minimum hourly rate: $32.18Horticulture Award
Superannuation: 12%Paid on top by the employer
How often you are paid: To be confirmed

See full details

Pay: $33.55/hour, plus penalty rates. The ad does not say which Award applies; orchards usually fall under the Horticulture Award.
Applicable Award: Horticulture Award (MA000028)
Legal minimum hourly rate: Level 1 (new starter, up to 3 months): $32.18/hour
Level 2: $33.05/hour
Level 3: $33.55/hour
Casual (including the 25% casual loading), effective from 1 July 2026.Fair Work pay guide
Piece-rate guarantee: Piece rates have a floor: each day you must get at least the hourly rate × hours worked that day (casual Level 1 $32.18 an hour). The piece rate must let an average worker earn at least 15% more than the hourly rate (about $37.01). Before you start, the employer must give you a written piece-rate record signed by both of you.
How you are paid: To be confirmed
By law wages must be paid in money (cash, cheque or bank transfer) at least monthly; whichever method is used, the employer must give you a payslip within 1 working day of paying you.
How often you are paid: To be confirmed
Under the Award: Paid weekly or fortnightly
Superannuation: Yes. Your employer must also pay 12% of your wages into your super account — this applies to working holiday makers too, however much you earn. From 1 July 2026 it must be paid within 7 working days of each pay day. You can claim it back after leaving Australia (taxed at 65% for working holiday makers).
Tax: If the employer is registered as a Working Holiday employer, 15% is withheld on the first $45,000 of income. Being taxed 30% suggests the employer may not be registered; without a tax file number (TFN), 45% is withheld.

Statutory figures last checked: 2026-10-05. Your actual pay is what your employer's contract and payslips show.

Hours

Usual hours: About 38 hours a week
Weather-dependent?: Yes, work may stop

When they need workersHiring now・Hiring started: 2026-09-16

123456789101112

See full details

Usual hours: About 38 hours a week
Shifts: The ad does not state the roster
Weather-dependent?: Yes. Work may stop if it rains or is too hot, and there is no income that day.
Additional notes: The ad says about 38 hours a week, with possibly more hours in peak season; possibly long-term (potentially ongoing).
Peak season: Ad: start immediately, possibly long-term (potentially ongoing); duties include tree care and helping with the harvest.
Hiring: Hiring now: Agri Labour's "Orchard Assistant - Hillston, NSW" (ref. BBBH29600), Casual, start immediately, possibly long-term, about 38 hours a week. Posted on Agri Labour's website on 2026-09-16 (WordPress data); the same ad also appeared on Gumtree on 2026-10-07. No closing date given.
Orchard Assistant (Casual, start immediately, possibly long-term, $33.55/hour + penalty rates; posted on the website 2026-09-16, no closing date given)
Hiring started: 2026-09-16
Hiring status is checked automatically every day; last checked: 2026-10-08. See the job ad

Accommodation & transport

Accommodation: To be confirmed
Transport: To be confirmed
Amenities: RemoteRemote; shopping is inconvenient
Nearest town: Hillston

View this company on Google MapsHillston, NSW 2675

See full details

Accommodation

To be confirmed
The ad does not mention accommodation.

Transport

To be confirmed
The ad requires a driver's licence but does not say whether you need your own car; Wikipedia says Hillston has had no public transport since the mid-1970s.

Getting there without a car: Wikipedia says Hillston has had no public transport since the mid-1970s, so it is hard to get to the orchards without a car.
Public transport: The railway at Hillston is freight only (Wikipedia); Griffith has NSW TrainLink Xplorer trains to Sydney twice a week and V/Line coaches to Melbourne (Wikipedia).
Nearest airport: Hillston Airport is only a source of weather data, with no scheduled flight information; Griffith Airport has daily Rex flights to Sydney, and flights to Melbourne (Wikipedia).
Nearest town: Hillston; Griffith is about 100 km to the south-east (estimated from the ABS area centre)

Amenities

Hillston is a small town on the Lachlan River (population about 1,500 in 2021); the main industries are livestock, grain, cotton, citrus and vegetables (Wikipedia).

Grocery shopping: Wikipedia does not mention supermarkets in Hillston; not verified. The nearest large town, Griffith, has a Woolworths (Wikipedia).
Medical: Wikipedia only mentions a hospital built in 1882; its current status has not been verified.
Other: To be confirmed

Online reviews

4.6/5Indeed19 reviews

News and official records: 1

Common praise

Several employees say pay arrives on time
Safety-focused; supportive team
In January 2023 a farm hand in Hillston said someone always answers the phone and the team is very helpful

+1 more

Many work locations; you can work all over Australia

Common complaints

In May 2024 someone said accommodation costs were deducted from pay, with 4 people crammed into one small motel room
Long hours, hot weather, repetitive and physically demanding work
Few promotion opportunities

See full details

Compiled from Indeed, Glassdoor, backpacker blogs and the news. Everything is a paraphrased summary — follow the links to read the originals.

Ratings

4.6/5 Indeed・19 reviews
Agri Labour Australia Pty Ltd (nationwide)
See the original reviews

News and official records

Announced by the Fair Work Ombudsman on 2019-04-23 (republished by local media): from 2017-12 to 2018-04 Agri-Labour underpaid 19 Vanuatu seasonal workers on a tomato farm near Shepparton, Victoria, a total of $50,823 (calculating piece rates from whole-crew output, not recording hours and deducting costs such as raincoats without consent). The company back-paid the wages, paid a further $15,000 and signed an enforceable undertaking (EU, including two external audits and two years of oversight). (2019-04-23・Source)

The Indeed rating covers Agri Labour reviews from all over Australia (mostly from 2013–2019), not this job specifically; no backpacker accounts were found.

Review summary last checked: 2026-10-08. Online reviews are personal experiences and may be out of date or not reflect the whole picture; ratings change over time, so the original sites prevail.

How to apply

Apply through a labour hire agency

Apply via online form

My application status Saved only in this device's browser

You will need

ChemCert chemical user accreditation (required)
Driver's licence (essential)
Able to operate tractors and other farm machinery

Restrictions

Not eligible without ChemCert accreditation
The advertisement does not say whether the Working Holiday visa is accepted
Ad doesn't mention accommodation or transport

See full details

Before you apply

Apply online with "Apply now" on the Agri Labour job page (attach an up-to-date English resume and relevant experience); the same ad is also on Gumtree, and you can apply through Gumtree.

Licences required

ChemCert chemical user accreditation (required)
Driver's licence (essential)

Each role needs different licences — see the role descriptions above.

Only apply through the channels listed on this page or published on the employer's official website. Legitimate employers never ask you to pay for a job; for look-alike job sites or people who message you privately, check the official website first.Avoiding illegal work

Official website: agrilabour.com.au
Careers page: Go to the careers page
Labour hire: Agri Labour Australia (Agri-Labour Australia Pty Ltd)

Weather

Next 7 days

Loading…

Monthly temperature & rainfall

Very hot summers: January average high 33.6°C, record 47.2°C (January 2017); July average low 3.8°C in winter; annual rainfall about 375 mm, very dry (Wikipedia).

Climate data to be added.

Legitimacy

Company registration: ABN activeABN 23 142 526 216
Employment arrangement: Via labour hire

See full details

Make sure it is a registered company that gives payslips and pays super, so your specified work days will hold up.

Company registration: ABN 23 142 526 216・Agri-Labour Australia Pty Ltd・Active
View on ABN Lookup
Employment arrangement: Employed through a labour hire agency: Agri Labour Australia (Agri-Labour Australia Pty Ltd, labour hire); the actual farm where you would work has not been disclosed
Notes: ABN 23 142 526 216 (Agri-Labour Australia Pty Ltd, Australian private company) active since 2010-03-31, registered for GST since 2010-03-31, main business location QLD 4390 (ABR, checked 2026-10-08). The company address on the Gumtree ad is Kelvin Grove, Brisbane (88 L'Estrange Terrace, QLD 4059). This is a labour hire job, and the ad does not name the actual farm. New South Wales (NSW) currently has no labour hire licensing scheme, so there is no licence number here. 2019-04-23 report: the Fair Work Ombudsman announced that from 2017-12 to 2018-04 Agri-Labour underpaid 19 Vanuatu seasonal workers on a tomato farm near Shepparton, Victoria, a total of $50,823 (calculating piece rates from whole-crew output, not recording hours and deducting pay without consent); the company back-paid the wages, paid a further $15,000 to the Commonwealth and signed an enforceable undertaking (EU, including two external audits) (https://southburnett.com.au/news2/2019/04/23/farm-workers-get-back-pay/).

How to spot illegal work

Reviews from past workers

Worked here? Your experience can help the next person avoid mistakes.

Loading reviews…

Reviews on other sites: Indeed (Agri Labour Australia)

Sources

Last checked: 2026-10-08. If you see outdated or incorrect information, let us know.

Not yet confirmed (5)

The actual orchard name and address are not published; the coordinates use the ABS area centre for Hillston (a very large area).
The posting date 2026-09-16 was read from the WordPress data (wp-json) on Agri Labour's website; the ad page itself shows no date.
Whether Working Holiday visas are accepted: not stated in the ad.
Award: not stated in the ad; the Horticulture Award (MA000028), which usually applies to orchards, is shown.
New region code hillston: Hillston is about 100 km from Griffith, beyond the 60 km rule for a single region, so it gets its own region.

See all sources (9)

$33.55/hrHiring now・Peak season

Apply online