also East Timor keen to send guest workers to WA, Priority to Australians for fruit-picking: Government

ABC Online

Timor guest workers on agenda for Rudd & Gusmao

Updated August 19, 2008 10:20:11

East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao will visit Canberra next week for talks with Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd and what's likely to be on the agenda is Australia allowing in Timorese guest workers.

Already Australia is opening its doors to Pacific Islanders and its hoped Mr Rudd will announce a separate scheme for Timorese workers in Australia's remote Kimberley region.

Presenter: Anne Barker

Speakers: Kevin Austin, Timorese Government; Ron Sedon, General Manager, Cable Beach Resort, Broome

KEVIN AUSTIN: There are some industries we've looked at, but these are all industries that are having, as I said, labour shortage crisis issues and these are all industries Timor can gain skills from.

ANNE BARKER: Kevin Austin works for the Timorese Government. He's spent months in talks with business and government authorities in Western Australia's remote north.

He says there are crippling labour shortages there in tourism, forestry and aquaculture, and it makes sense to bring Timorese workers to the Kimberley

KEVIN AUSTIN: What we've proposed is 300 employees and trainees in the first pilot year and we're also requesting 100 occupational trainees. And Timor certainly would benefit from the fact that we have such a large youth unemployed and unskilled so-called 'bubble'.

These people certainly would assist in Timor's national and human security, recovery and development.

ANNE BARKER: One company that's struggled to find and keep staff is the Cable Beach Resort at Broome. At any time of year there could be 30 jobs going, but no one to fill them.

Too often the resort relies on backpackers, who wait for the first pay cheque and then move on.

General manager Ron Sedon says Timorese workers could easily fill some of those jobs.

ROD SEDON: More your line staff area, public gardeners, landscapers, as I said, housekeepers, food and beverage servers, I also think that given Australia's close relationship with East Timor at the moment, we have a moral responsibility to develop a workforce.

ANNE BARKER: So strong is the local business support, Western Australia has signed an agreement with East Timor to bring workers to the Kimberley.

If the Commonwealth agrees, 300 Timorese in the first year would work anywhere from Broome to Kununurra.

Last weekend, the Australian Government announced a pilot program to bring 2,500 workers from four Pacific nations to work in the Australian horticultural industry.

It won't say if that scheme will be expanded to include workers from East Timor.

But Kevin Austin is hopeful that months of negotiations will pay off, with an announcement in Canberra next week to coincide with Xanana Gusmao's visit.

---

ABC News

East Timor keen to send guest workers to WA

19 August
By Anne Barker

An East Timorese guest worker scheme is likely to be on the agenda during a visit to Canberra next week by East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who will hold talks with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

An East Timor government official has spent months in talks with business and government authorities in Western Australia's remote north and an agreement has been signed with the WA Government on bringing East Timorese to work in Australia's remote Kimberley region.

East Timor is now proposing that about 300 workers and trainees come to Australia under the first year of a pilot scheme .

East Timor is one of the world's poorest nations, with unemployment at above 60 per cent, and its Government has described an urgent need to develop its skills base.

The idea comes after Australia's decision to pilot a scheme for Pacific Island workers to fill what farmers say is a labour shortage in Australian horticulture.

Kevin Austin is the East Timor official who has been working on aspects of a possible scheme in WA.

"There are several industries we have looked at but these are all industries that are having labour shortage crisis issues and these are all industries Timor can gain skills from," Mr Austin has told ABC radio's AM.

He says some of the industries in northern WA that are facing crippling labour shortages are tourism, forestry and aquaculture, and he says it makes sense to bring Timorese workers to the Kimberley.

"What we've proposed is 300 employees and trainees in the first pilot year and we're also requesting 100 occupational trainees," Mr Austin said.

"Timor would benefit from the fact that we have such a large youth unemployed and unskilled so-called bubble; these people certainly would assist in Timor's national and human security recovery and development."

One company that has struggled to find and keep staff is the Cable Beach Resort at Broome, which says it can have 30 jobs vacant at any time of year, with no one to fill them.

The resort tends to rely on backpackers, but with their tendency to move on quickly, they do not answer the need for a more stable workforce.

Cable Beach Resort general manager Ron Sedon says Timorese workers could easily fill some of those jobs, particularly as gardeners, landscapers, housekeepers and food and beverage workers.

"I also think that given Australia's close relationship with East Timor at the moment, we have a moral responsibility to develop a workforce," Mr Sedon said.

Local business support is so strong that Western Australia has signed an agreement with East Timor to bring workers to the Kimberley.

If the Commonwealth agrees, the workers would work anywhere from Broome to Kununurra, with employers paying their transport, accommodation and meals.

Mr Austin also says the training role is important.

"Initially we looked at semi- to low-skilled positions," he said.

"We are now looking at other skilled areas that would assist Timor in gaining skills, so we're not just talking about employment, we're also looking at a dual program of both employment and skilling to help Timor with its own strategic industries that will help its recovery and development."

The Federal Government will not say if its Pacific worker pilot program will be expanded to include workers from East Timor.

But Mr Austin is hopeful that the ground work that has already been done will pay off and bring an announcement in Canberra next week to coincide with Mr Gusmao's visit.
--

Priority to Australians for fruit-picking: Government

August 19, 2008

ANYONE in Australia who wanted seasonal agricultural work will be given a job ahead of overseas guest workers, the federal government says.

Under a three-year pilot scheme, 2500 workers from Tonga, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea will be given temporary work visas to perform seasonal agricultural work such as fruit picking in selected regions.

Indigenous leader Warren Mundine says Aboriginal people should be encouraged to take up the jobs before Pacific Islanders are tested.

But programs such as Community Development Employment Projects discouraged travel for seasonal employment because it paid indigenous people to work on projects in their own community, he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says the scheme will be demand driven.

"In other words, the requirements that we will put in place will ensure that if there is an Australian, or someone based in Australia, who is ready, willing and able to work in the horticulture industry, then they'll get the jobs first," he told Macquarie Radio in Sydney.

Mr Smith says there is a range of policy issues to be worked through which is why the government was starting with a pilot program.

"We're going to review that pilot program halfway through ... to see whether it's a success, to whether the requirements we've put in place are working effectively," Mr Smith said.

"And if it is successful, to see whether it might be sensible to expand the capacity to other areas of Australia, or indeed to other countries in the Pacific."

Already there have been calls for the scheme to include workers from East Timor.

The Opposition is demanding more information before it backs the plan.

The Government needed to spell out the cost of the plan and why it was limited to horticulture, opposition small business spokesman Steve Ciobo said.

He agreed there was a dire need for workers in horticulture and other industries such as tourism.

"Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the Labor party says the horticultural industry can have workers but the tourism industry can't," he said.

"We need some clear and specific policy parameters before the opposition can determine whether or not we will support this."

AAP

Back to August Menu
July
World Leaders Contact List
Main Postings Menu