Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud says it is up to his Liberal colleague Marise Payne to end delays implementing a new agriculture visa to allow foreigners to work on Australian farms.
The first workers had been expected to arrive before the end of last year but the new visa is yet to be issued.
While the Nationals have long championed the need for the new visa, its implementation has fuelled bitter divides within the Coalition.
Some Liberals are opposed to the visa, fearing it could undermine Australia's relations with Pacific nations.
"This is squarely in the remit of the Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, she has the responsibility, she has given a strong commitment to myself, the National Party and the Prime Minister that she will have those discussions completed early this year, we are expecting that to be done, it's her responsibility and we are expecting it to be finalised very soon," Mr Littleproud said.
"We've already got approved employers and labour hire companies … to bring workers in, basically immediately.
Senator Payne is in Europe, where she attended the Munich Security Conference at the weekend.
"Discussions on program details with Indonesia are advanced, with details to be finalised soon and recruitment to start after negotiations are complete," a DFAT spokesperson told the ABC.
"We are in discussions with a number of other countries in South-East Asia."
"These are sovereign nations that have their own interests and expectations, which we respect."
After years of promising the visa, the Nationals got their way by forcing the Prime Minister to commit in return for the junior Coalition party's support for a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
Mr Littleproud, the Agriculture Minister, led the charge at getting the visa and initially said it would be up and running by last Christmas.
Sources told the ABC the government is close to signing an agreement with Indonesia but is yet to finalise the details.
Speaking in Brisbane on Monday, Mr Littleproud failed to hide his frustration at the delays.
"Of course I am frustrated, we made it clear this visa was to take place well before Christmas," he said.
The visa was promised to apply to skilled and non-skilled workers expected to work across farming, fisheries, forestry and meat processing.
The horticulture sector estimates it could employ more than 25,000 additional workers at the peak of harvest.
Last week, a Department of Foreign Affairs Official told Senate estimates about 1,000 workers per country could initially be expected, prompting some confusion about whether the new visa would be limited.
The government has previously said it would be a demand-driven program.
Stephen Howes from the Australian National University said the confusion "highlighted how the government's caught between two different viewpoints".
"On the one hand, you have the Nationals, and they're interpreting an agreement that would be demand-driven to mean it'd be uncapped," he said.
"But on the other hand, you have, I think the Liberals, the Foreign Minister and the Pacific Step-Up.
"And there you have an agreement, that of Pacific primacy, you know that the existing Pacific temporary migration schemes, the Seasonal Worker Program and the Pacific Labour Scheme, will be the primary means of filling regional and rural workplace shortages."
The Government also committed to considering making the Australian Agriculture visa a pathway to permanent residency.
