Farmers need workers, and thanks to TikTok and Instagram there is renewed interest from a younger generation wanting to work as ringers, spending their days mustering cattle in dusty paddocks under wide-open skies.
Key points:
- Cattle stations across northern Australia are struggling to find skilled workers
- Social media videos showcasing outback life has attracted many young people to the industry
- One path to employment for “green” workers is to ask major cattle operations about training opportunities
But it is the gap between enthusiasm and practical skill that has graziers wondering what they can do to attract skilled labour.
North Queensland grazier Jake Anning wishes he could give everyone a chance to work on his family’s property, Wongalee.
“There is a lot of interest and I wish I could give everyone the opportunity to come out and show them the industry because I’m very passionate about it. It’s the best job in the world,” he said.
But life on a station is not as straightforward as many potential workers assume.
“The grass is tall and the rocks are thick, so you’ve got to be able to keep your bike underneath you most of the time and still be able to chase the beasts,” Mr Anning said.
“It does take time, being around cattle, just learning which one’s going to run you over and which one’s going to run to the side of you.”
Not quite like television
At the start of muster — a process where graziers gather and move livestock — sixth-generation grazier Mr Anning was struggling to find any workers, so he decided to put a call out on social media.
He was blown away by the interest, but said it mostly came from those who had little to no experience working on a cattle property.
“The social media side of things is a good idea, but you get people saying ‘oh that looks like [American TV series] Yellowstone. I want to go do it’,” he said.
Loading Instagram content
Mr Anning said many simply did not appreciate how hard it was to work on a station.
“It is a dangerous job, and I’d just be worried the whole time that someone would get seriously injured because it does happen out here,” he said.
Kylie Eastough, the manager of Rural Training Australia, said some people think it is going to be like what they see on television.
“It definitely doesn’t suit everyone and it’s not like what you see on McLeod’s Daughters,” she said.
“It’s serious out there. You’re working really hard. It’s sun-up to sun-down, minimum.”
Industry-wide issue
Over the border in the Northern Territory the labour situation is not any better.
“I’d say the biggest challenge we’ve had over the past 18 months is finding labour and trying to find suitable candidates,” said Ross Stanes, manager of Lyndavale Station, 230 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs.
“We’ve basically been looking for months and we’ve really only been able to find one recruit at this stage, one new recruit.”
But further north, about 300 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs, Lachlan Rasmussen is bucking the trend on Huckitta Station.
In his first year out of school he has decided to give ringing a go.
“I find it quite soothing that it’s in the middle of nowhere,” he said.
Mr Rasmussen wants more young people to consider giving life on the land a go.
“If you’ve left school and need something to do for a year, find the nearest cattle station and ask if they need a hand,” he said.
Back on Wongalee, Jake Anning was able to rely on some mates and a backpacker to help.
“We had an English backpacker here, he was pretty green. I’ve got a helmet on him when he’s riding his bike around,” Mr Anning said.
“He’s wary in the yards [though] — which is good, because a lot of people come out here with not much self-preservation and get run over by the first big cow they see.
“Hopefully we can get some more ringers to come back, but they are few and far between.”
How to get a gig as a ringer
One of the more popular comments on videos of young people working on cattle properties is ‘how can I get a job on a cattle station?’.
Describing current demand for workers as “massive”, Ms Eastough of Rural Training Australia said initiative was highly valued in the industry.
“It is OK to be a newbie and get into the industry, but the biggest thing would be your ability to show that you have genuine interest,” she said.
Ms Eastough said her top tip for those wanting to find employment, was to contact a major cattle operation, as they can offer formal and extensive training.
“Most of the actual training would come from the employer reps and the head stockman, and whoever’s more advanced in the industry,” she said.
“The big cattle companies advertise every year, usually around Christmas time for the start of the season. Then the season would start in February and March.”
Loading
