‘Our Gov’t must advocate against Aust agriculture visa proposal’
LEADER of the Opposition and Member of Parliament Mathew Wale says Australia’s new agriculture visa will be a threat to the Pacific Labour Mobility scheme in Australia.
“Our Government must collaborate with other Pacific Islands countries to advocate against this agriculture visa proposal.”
Wale cautioned the Sogavare led government when he contributed to the ‘Special Adjournment’ motion moved by the Prime Minister in the Parliament on Monday.
He said that Australia desperately needs 26,000 farm workers right now, to say nothing of the need in meat works and other sectors.
He added that this need has given rise to the announcement by their agriculture minister that they will look at issuing an agriculture visa targeted at ASEAN countries.
Countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines will be targeted by Australia.
But Wale said that the Pacific Labour mobility scheme is a regulated scheme to avoid exploitation and abuse and therefore less flexible than what is being proposed under this agriculture visa.
“This is a direct threat to the Pacific Labour Mobility scheme in Australia. Government must collaborate with other Pacific Islands countries to advocate against this agriculture visa proposal,” he told the Prime Minister.
Wale said Australia needs 26,000 farm workers, Solomon Islands have possibly 100,000 young people who are unemployed who could go right now to meet the need in Australian farms.
But the government is aiming to send 2,000 by December 2021.
“What a ridiculous situation! It is clear that the government cannot manage the labour mobility scheme.
“It must now urgently seek to outsource this important responsibility to a credible private sector operator,” Wale said.
He further stressed that the government must find where in Australia the farms are that need the 26,000 workers, and then do everything in their capacity to get them- the workers urgently.
“We must also ensure that our workers have received a double dose of the vaccines against the covid-19,” Wale added.
He said that this public service attitude of aiming to get 2,000 there by the end of the year is un-ambitious as it is irresponsible and negligent.
Solomon Islanders like other pacific Islanders is currently enjoying the opportunity given under the Pacific Labour Mobility Scheme to work in Australia.
The Solomon Star understands that a lot of positive sentiments have been shared by individual Solomon Islanders working under the scheme in Australia.
By ANDREW FANASIA
Newsroom, Honiara
