Problems continue for seasonal Australian work visa programme
November 26 2009 by Liam Clifford
Australian work visa programme not fulfilling expectations.
Australia’s Pacific Islander seasonal work visa scheme is
still not working as intended, according to recruiters.
The scheme was
first introduced in 2008 with the intention of giving a set number of Pacific
Islanders the chance to work in Australia temporarily. The scheme was intended
to help farmers to fill labour gaps for seasonal work like fruit
picking.
In the scheme’s first year only 56 of the 100 temporary Australian work
visas were taken. The problem was the months of negotiations with the islands of
Tonga, Kiribati and Vanuatu, which led to a delay in striking the deals. This
meant that the scheme started too late for most farmers, who had to seek staff
from elsewhere.
This year the scheme’s phase two was rolled out and 2,400
work permits were made available.
However, recruitment firms that have been
approved to hire islanders for the scheme claim there are problems with agreeing
rates with the workers. One recruiter explained, “we've been looking since
August-September and would have liked to have workers in the fields now, but
none of the workers have agreed to our rates.”
The problem arises from
the fact that farmers are required to pay half the return airfare and an
additional A$100 in transport fees, which makes hiring the temporary workers
simply too expensive.
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