Transcript
MATTHEW DORNAN: If we look at the history with the Seasonal Worker Programme it also had a slow start. It had a fairly small cap to begin with. That was extended a number of times until finally in recent years it was uncapped. So at the moment it is small but there is potential for it to become a much more significant scheme in the future.
DON WISEMAN: So what areas are these going to be allowed to work in?
MD: The scheme is targeted towards low and semi-skilled occupations. So that differentiates it from the Seasonal Worker Programme which was a lower skill level yet, and of course it is very different to the skilled temporary work visas that are available in Australia, which have generally not gone to Pacific Islanders. The government has decided this is for work in rural and regional areas of Australia. It is also for work in sectors and industries where there is a lack of Australian workers. So the government has been very keen to demonstrate that this scheme will not mean Pacific Islanders replacing Australians in jobs, for understandable political reasons. I think there is some flexibility around which industry the scheme will be focussed on. A briefing at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade sent out recently mentioned three, so one was accommodation and food service industries - so that's hospitality, tourism - the other, and I think this is likely to be the biggest one, healthcare and social assistance industries. That's really important in Australia, moving forward, given the ageing population. And then the other is non seasonal agriculture, forestry and fishing. So those are three specific industries. I would expect they could change going forward.
DW: For how long can they come into the country?
MD: The scheme is for up to three years.
DW: It is substantially different isn't it? There have been issues under the seasonal employer scheme where Pacific Islanders have been abused. There hasn't been very good pastoral care, or certainly not in the early stages. And now a lot of these people are going to be going into rural areas. What sort of safeguards will be in place for them?
MD: Well the government announced at the same time it announced this Pacific Labour Scheme, it's announced a new Pacific Labour Facility. So essentially a body that would provide a number of functions, one of which would be to put Pacific Islands workers in touch with Australian employers who are eager to hire them but the other is taking over those pastoral responsibilities. So I actually think this is a very significant change. So, you are right, there have been abuses under the seasonal worker programme. One of the reasons for that is that employers to a great extent have been responsible for those pastoral care responsibilities and that creates a power imbalance between the employer and the employee. Under this new Pacific Labour Facility it would take over those pastoral care responsibilities. I guess it is modelled on the micro-states visa pilot which has been going on in northern Australia, in which it wasn't employers but rather a managing contractor who was responsible for those functions. And I think that is a much better model. If you can imagine, a worker gets sick, wants to go to a doctor, they are not reliant on their employer to take them to a doctor, because obviously transportation is always an issue here, in rural areas, but instead they can contact a third party - the Pacific Labour Facility - that can arrange that sort of visit.
DW: What sort of reaction has there been around the Pacific to this announcement?
MD: I think it's been positive overall. I think to some extent it has been muted simply by the fact that it is currently focussed on three countries, also the cap - while it is significant for those three countries it is still fairly modest for the Pacific overall. So yeah I would describe it as positive but at the same time, muted. It is certainly not an enormous change just yet, but I think the seeds are there for a much more significant scheme in the future.
DW: A modest number but when you are looking at countries like Nauru and Tuvalu a few hundred people from there, leaving, will, one; leave a hole in those countries, but it will also be a significant boost in terms of remittances, won't it?
MD: Yeah that is absolutely correct. I think in Nauru it is probably less likely to have a big impact simply given there is very little unemployment in Nauru currently because of the detention centre there, so I am not sure there will be a big impact there, but for Tuvalu and Kiribati I think there certainly is potential. I'm very pleased to see those three countries included as a first in the scheme. I think these sorts of schemes are subject to first mover advantage. Once some workers get a hold there they get their friends, their family involved in the scheme, and we saw that in the case of Tonga's participation in the seasonal worker programme in Australia. You gain that first foothold, as a result you saw the scheme for many years dominated by Tongan employees. I would hope that including Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu first will help them to get a foothold into the scheme.