Labour mobility

Australia to extend labour link with Vanuatu

This will increase employment opportunities for Vanuatu's workers in Australia and help fill critical labour gaps in Australia's rural and regional areas.

It's one of the outcomes of today's meeting between the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull in Canberra.

In 2017, the number of Vanuatu workers in Australia reached 2,150, who brought in over Vt1 billion to the Vanuatu economy.

Vanuatu began sending workers under the Seasonal Worker Programme around 2009/2010.

     

Labour mobility could still be a deal breaker for Pacer Plus

After more than six years of negotiations 12 Pacific Island Forum countries are expected to sign Pacer Plus this month..

Initially, the countries had pushed for legally binding arrangements on labour mobility but Australia and New Zealand convinced them otherwise, supposedly to protect the schemes' exclusivity to Pacific countries.

But the Solomon Islands foreign minister Milner Tozaka said it was still one of the main reasons they wanted to sign on.

Climate woes fuel labour mobility calls

Kiribati, with help from the Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation, is hosting a conference to consider how to prepare for climate migrants to move in a dignified way.

The Kiribati Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Akka Rimon, says it is part of the gradual process of preparation for something that will become inevitable.

She says one thing they will want to look at will be extensions to existing labour mobility arrangements with countries like Australia and New Zealand.