‘Tonga’s entry into the Scheme will provide more Tongan workers access to skills development opportunities, while also helping fill labour shortages in rural and regional Australia’
The Minister for Foreign Affairs’ website includes the following announcement:
Expanding the Pacific Labour Scheme and establishing an Office of the Pacific
Joint media release
- The Hon Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister
- Senator the Hon Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs
15 November 2018
Australia continues to take our partnership with the Pacific to a new level. Building Pacific labour mobility is a priority for Australia and for our partners in the Pacific.
Our Government will progressively roll out the Pacific Labour Scheme across all Pacific island countries. Currently open to six Pacific countries, Tonga will be the next country to join the Pacific Labour Scheme. We will also discuss with our Papua New Guinean counterparts a pathway for Papua New Guinea to join the scheme.
In addition, the current cap of 2,000 places will be lifted, providing more opportunities for Pacific workers to undertake non-seasonal work for up to three years.
Uncapping the Scheme builds on the success of the uncapped Seasonal Worker Programme, which has enabled more than 28,000 job opportunities for Pacific workers in Australia since 2012.
Together, these measures will help farmers and regional communities get the workers they need, when they need them. Australia will continue to prioritise the Pacific to help fill jobs where Australian workers are not able to do so.
To support Australia’s deepening engagement with the Pacific, the Government will also establish a new Office of the Pacific in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to enhance whole-of-government coordination.
The Office of the Pacific will have increased resourcing and will support our efforts to develop even closer ties with Pacific governments and regional organisations, including the Pacific Islands Forum.
Other agencies including the Australian Federal Police, Defence, Department of Home Affairs and Attorney-General’s Department will be invited to provide secondments to the Office to help better coordinate our efforts to develop even closer ties across the region.
Visit https://dfat.gov.au/labourmobility to learn more about the Pacific Labour Scheme.
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Sergio Zanotti Stagliorio is a Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1461003). He is the owner of Target Migration in Sydney. He can be reached at sergio@targetmigration.com.au