Hospitality sector left fuming Wes Lambert, CEO of the Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, said the changes will rattle a hospitality sector largely reliant on WHV holders and international students. “This is a workforce stoppage,” Lambert told SmartCompany after Burke’s address.

Wes Lambert, chief executive of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association, said hospitality companies were already hurting after the government’s move in July to freeze working-holiday-maker visas, which are especially relied on by regional employers.

The Australian Restaurant and Café Association (ARCA) has been named an official association partner of the 2027 Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE). ARCA represents the interests of more than 56,000 restaurants and cafés around Australia, advocating on workforce, taxation, training, and productivity issues on behalf of the hospitality sector. CEO of ARCA Wes Lambert says that, with café owners being the central audience of MICE, the collaboration will give the event a stronger, more direct line to decision makers.