As from 2 July up to 2000 places are available in 2012-13 for seasonal workers. They will be able to spend six months in Australia, working in hospitality, horticulture and other parts of the primary sector.

Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu have already provided workers to three rural regions of Australia during an initial trial.

Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu are now being invited to part of the second group of nations to take part.

Nauru has been the first from this second group to formalise the seasonal worker scheme with Australia.

"We expect many of the workers coming over to participate in the program will also be looking to attend church services and participate in the life of the parish throughout their stay in Australia" said Fr Maurizio Pettenà, National Director of ACMRO, "Parishes and local community groups are encouraged to make these workers feel welcomed and included".

The Catholic Church, through ACMRO, has been part of the National Stakeholder Consultative Panel (NSCP) in order to assist with consultation and engagement in implementing the Seasonal Worker Program.

"The Seasonal Worker Program is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the economic development of Pacific Island countries," said Joe Moloney, ACMRO consultant to the NSCP. "The program also offers a reliable, returning workforce to Australian employers who are struggling to find local Australian workers, especially at harvest time."

Seasonal workers will be able to gain employment for up to 6 months in the horticultural industry helping Australian growers on crops such as citrus, cucumbers, grapes, almonds, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, stone fruit, apples and more.

"Employers who cannot find Australian jobseekers will need to guarantee seasonal workers a minimum amount of work and pay them in accordance with the relevant award or industrial instrument's, the same amount that Australian workers receive", he said.

Source

• Pacific Beat
• ACMRO
• Image: Google Images

ACMRO and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand will appear separately before the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee considering the Bill Thursday 28 June.

ACMRO's Fr Maurizio Pettenà and Joe Moloneyare are coming to Wellington to share the reality of mandatory detention of refugees. They are calling on New Zealand to respond with compassion to asylum seekers escaping war or violence in their homelands.

Speaking from experience in Australia, the Office warns that indefinite mandatory detention is an unnecessarily harsh and inhumane way to treat human beings. It ultimately divides society, is ineffective in stopping boat journeys and has substantial economic and moral costs.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand - the social justice agency of New Zealand's Catholic Bishops - is also concerned about the mass detention provisions in the Bill.

It is concerned as well that the government is sneaking through other significant changes to immigration policy under the cover of fear of ‘mass arrivals'. These include the ability to suspend determination of refugee claims, and restrictions on judicial review (the ability of New Zealand courts to review refugee cases).

Caritas Director Julianne Hickey says New Zealand has a reputation as being a world leader in the resettlement of refugees. Many members of society are from refugee and migrant backgrounds, and contribute to the richness and diversity of our communities.

"We should be celebrating the welcome we give to desperate people fleeing persecution, not damaging their lives and our international reputation by adopting these unnecessary and harmful policies," she says.

Mrs Hickey says public and Parliamentary debate about the Bill needs to be based on a sound understanding of the Refugee Convention. ‘The Convention specifically covers the crossing of borders by people seeking asylum. Both resettled "quota refugees" and asylum seekers are Convention refugees. They are not "illegal migrants", "people smugglers" or "queue jumpers".'

Caritas has a leaflet Refugee Myths and Realities to address misunderstandings about refugees and asylum seekers.

Source

• Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
• Image: 3News