Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, said the funds would help the 4000 people employed within the kangaroo industry to meet "the increasingly stringent quality demanded by importing countries".

The funding will be used to extend the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation’s current kangaroo harvester training program.

The additional funds will be used to accelerate training delivery, update and enhance training materials, develop a competency-based qualification and on-the-job assessment framework to facilitate ongoing training, and retrain and assess skills and knowledge of harvesters

"Investing in product and skills improvement is essential for regaining access to the market in Russia as well as underpinning new markets, such as China," Mr Burke said.

"This training will ensure that kangaroo harvesters have the skills to meet international requirements and changing market conditions."

A key part of the training will be the inclusion of a practical skills assessment where harvesters will need to demonstrate their competency through one of a number of assessment methods, such as an on-the-job demonstration.