MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Smith
Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Duncan Kerr SC, and representatives of the Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu governments have signed the first inter-governmental agreements to establish the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme.
In a ceremony held yesterday in Canberra, Mr Kerr joined the Hon Lisiate 'Akolo, Minister for Labour, Commerce and Industries of the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga; the Hon Ioteba Redfern, Minister of Labour and Human Resources Development of the Government of the Republic of Kiribati; and Mr Lionel Kaluat, Commissioner for Labour of the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu, in signing bilateral Memoranda of Understanding setting out arrangements for the pilot.
Senior officials of the Government of Papua New Guinea also attended the signing ceremony and participants briefing session along with industry, union and non-government organisations, ahead of further negotiations on Australia-PNG arrangements for the pilot.
The Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme, announced by the Government in August, is a three-year trial program to allow up to 2,500 seasonal workers from Kiribati, PNG, Tonga and Vanuatu to work in the horticultural industry in regional Australia for up to seven months a year in areas of unmet labour demand.
The pilot has been welcomed by Pacific leaders as a means towards the goal of greater regional economic integration and development. By providing employment experience, remittances, and training, the pilot is anticipated to generate significant benefits to both the individual workers involved and their communities.
The Australian horticultural industry has also been strongly supportive of the pilot, with demand for the program driven by Australian farmers unable to find the labour to get their produce to market.
The initiative is part of a comprehensive new approach by the Government to deepening Australia's bilateral partnerships and strengthening its overall engagement with the region. Signature of these intergovernmental arrangements is an important step towards early arrival of Pacific workers under the pilot scheme.
Media Contacts:
Mr Kerr's Office 02 6277 2178
Departmental Media Liaison 02 6261 1555