Fears unions target farmers on backpackers

A key Senate crossbencher fears farmers hiring backpackers could be harassed by unionists if changes to tax arrangements go ahead.

Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm is concerned draft legislation says farmers who navigate the bureaucracy to hire backpackers will be named on a public registry.

"Given that backpackers aren't known to peruse the Australian business register regularly, this outing of farmers... will mainly help the Australian Workers Union wage a campaign of harassment and intimidation," he wrote in an opinion piece in the Australian Financial Review.