More than 32,000 people from the Pacific and East Timor work in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme (PALM), mostly employed in horticulture and meat processing. This report explores where PALM has delivered real benefits, and where structural challenges remain, particularly in relation to worker mobility, exploitation, accommodation, and access to healthcare and...

The Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP), which allows workers from the Pacific and Timor-Leste to work on Australian farms for up to nine months, grew by 44% in 2018-19 or by some 3,000 workers – the largest absolute increase ever and one of the highest percentage growth rates.

An objective of both Australia’s Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) and New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE) is to encourage economic development in the Pacific. This paper highlights how a number of ni-Vanuatu seasonal workers in both RSE and SWP have created various businesses and responded to the changing economic environment in Vanuatu.

This research stems from a 10-year longitudinal study of 22 ni-Vanuatu temporary migrant labourers participating in New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE) established on 30 April 2007. This report highlights changes, challenges, experiences and opportunities during the first 10 years of RSE and makes several recommendations on possible potential problem areas.

After more than 10 years of established seasonal work schemes in Australia and New Zealand, this report focuses on seasonal labour mobility in the context of a policy assessment framework that addresses both wins and losses when considering a sustainable future for labour mobility in the Pacific.