VFF sounds alarm bells over new federal government's scant ag policy details

The Labor Party had proposed to move the agricultural visa into the Pacific Worker scheme, including provisions to allow partners and families to come to Australia.

"It really doesn't work like that, that shows a fundamental lack of understanding as to how that workforce and labor pool operates," Ms Germano said.

"The real point of the agricultural visa is that it was from workers who were not from the Pacific

"While we all understand it's a time of very high geopolitical tension, and Australia does have to strengthen its relationship with the Pacific, that can't be to the detriment of our industries."

Australia signed the first Memorandum of Understanding under the program with Vietnam in late March.

Read more: Labor's 'Ag Visa' policy affects all Australians

Ms Germano said having strong relations around the Asia Pacific was very important and the visa was an opportunity to do that, with other nations.

"At the end of the day, we have a whole bunch of producers right now saying, in the short to medium term 'am I going to continue growing horticultural produce?," she said.

"It's been that hard already - we are not talking about imagining something in the future, we are talking about what seems like compounding how hard it has already been.

"There is a lot of risk, putting in a horticultural crop and wondering if you are going to get it picked.

"We are seeing that contraction of the industry already."

Talk of further wage increases was also 'scary' for producers, she said.

'We are paying the highest wages in the world for our workers and beyond that commercial business has moved beyond where the award is, because you can't get workers anyway," she said

The sector still needed more clarity on other issues, she said.

"We've heard the headlines, but we haven't heard any details - what the Labor government's job is now is to created that certainty for agriculture, create that certainty for agricultural industries right across Australia."

Read more: Labor's ag policies still a mystery despite live debate

The incoming government needed to 'bridge the divide' between city and country.

'When you look at the electoral maps now, the difference between regional and metro Australia is now even more entrenched than it ever ways before.

"That is a job the incoming prime minister is going to have to do, to give regional Australians faith they are important to the government and they are going to be looked after."

There was also a significant concern over more water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin.

"Victoria has been the state that has paid hardest already, to rip more water out of the consumptive pool could be disastrous for northern Victoria.

"We are going to have to work really closely now with South Australia and NSW on that.

"As much as SA is said to be the winner, it's the SA environment, so there will be a lot of irrigators in SA would will be quite concerned too - so we have to make sure we join together with the other states in that advocacy."

Ms Germano said producers were also worried about the future of live exports.

'"If,all of a sudden, you have a huge oversupply in the domestic market that affects everyone, wherever you are."

Rural Councils Victoria chair Mary-Ann Brown said she'd like the new government to give the state its fair share of funding.

"There was a sense, the last federal budget was more focussed on NSW and Queensland," Cr Brown said.

"There are some commitments in regards to housing, but what the commitment for rural housing is probably unclear at this stage."

She said the $250 million for local roads and community infrastructure and $400m for disaster recovery strategies would also be welcomed.

"There are some things there that look encouraging," she said.

An RCV delegation would be going to Canberra, in the next few months, to further advocate for more funding for regional Victoria, she said.

"Its very early days, my sense is the major challenge is the economy," Cr Brown said.

"Regardless of who was elected, that is going to be a challenge."

AUSVEG has congratulated the Labor Party and newly-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on their election victory.

"Ensuring the Australian Agriculture Visa meets the needs of producers is a high priority for the industry," a spokesman said.

"The Ag Visa was designed to be a long-term structural change for the industry to access a more efficient and effective workforce and reduce its reliance on working holiday makers.

"Labor's plan for the Ag Visa leading into the election will limit the pool of workers to those that the industry already had access to through existing seasonal worker programs"

AUSVEG also looked forward to working with the government to establish a National Labour Hire Licencing Scheme, which will help protect vulnerable workers and growers against illegitimate labour hire operators.