New seasonal work opportunities, Aust Minister tells FEMM Journalists
Australia is committed to maintaining or expanding its two season work programmes for Pacific Islanders. It is also close to approving a group of workers to travel to the Northern Territory, despite COVID-related border closures.
It would be the first group of seasonal workers to travel to Australia since the pandemic began.
Australia’s Minister for International Development Alex Hawke told to a group of Pacific journalists covering the Forum Economic Ministers Meeting past week. Minister Hawke added that approval of a pilot project for 170 workers from Vanuatu to pick mangoes in the Northern Territory is ‘very close’.
“We want it to start as soon as possible, the Government of Vanuatu wants it to start as soon as possible and we are just finalising the arrangements,” he said.
Fiji
Fiji is a part of both the Australian Seasonal Worker Programme and the newer Australian Pacific Labour Scheme.
Workers taking part can quadruple their annual income.
The schemes also have the potential to bring much-needed foreign earnings into Fiji as COVID-19 continues to impact other industries such as tourism. Mr Hawke told journalists he wants to see seasonal work continue and grow.
“Certainly, we see …our Pacific labour mobility schemes as very important for the period ahead - to continue and ideally expand - although I would just urge caution on the term expansion,”. “We would like to see them grow but with COVID and the restrictions that are in place that could be challenging.
“The arrangements will have to be made in concert with the health authorities in both countries.
Mr Hawke noted that most Pacific countries have done an ‘absolutely fabulous’ job of completely securing themselves from COVID and protecting their populations health.
“That now allows us to continue the seasonal workers programme in Australia and continue the arrangements and we’re doing that in a policy sense right now.
“So we’ve already announced our pilot in the Northern Territory and for people in the Pacific. “Sometimes you’re hearing a lot about Victoria and the problems and challenges that we’re overcoming in Victoria.
“I’d say two things about that, many of the States and territories, large parts of Australia are effectively COVID-free or in a very, very, low rate of cases from returning travellers from overseas managed in quarantine very effectively.
“So we have large parts of Australia, regional Australia, large areas of industries where we already have about 1,000 Pacific workers in Australia working.” Mr Hawke said the Australian government is also working to ensure seasonal workers who stayed in Australia when borders closed are safe and are able to return home or move to new jobs. “We’ve stepped up our support so that so far we don’t have any COVID cases amongst that whole cohort (of Pacific workers) in the first six months.
“We’ve extended visa arrangements so that they can stay for another six months - of course people can’t stay forever.
“People might work for an additional six months, (but) they do want to return home.”
Repatriation
Mr Hawke noted that repatriation still remains an issue with many Pacific countries.
“I’m working with counterpart ministers every day to get those arrangements in place so we can repatriate people from Australia and NZ.
“But our pilot programme in the Northern Territory for mangoes will also establish the worker arrangements from Vanuatu.
“For example, that will allow us to continue the programme, to bring more people in.
“We are committed absolutely to bringing Pacific workers who are fantastic workers, who are extremely productive, well regarded by our industries.
“And who will be well paid by those sectors to continue agriculture and other sector productions during this period and there’ll be demand for them.
“I just urge caution about expansion of course we would like to expand the scheme, that’s Australian government standing policy before COVID.
“However, with the increased administration and health arrangements it may be difficult to say numbers will increase.
“But we certainly need the programmes to continue and we’ll do everything possible to work within our states, to ensure that there’s safety for people that come to Australia.
“To make sure the arrangements satisfy partner governments in the region so we can continue it.
“And that partner policy work is underway, it’s been explored by the government now, has to go through our federal system but we value this relationship as much as any Pacific island country or worker in Australia.
“And on behalf of all our industries we’re so grateful for the hard working and productive workers that visit Australia and help our industries.”