Several children in Tonga are expected to have the opportunity to join their parents in Australia through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
The Australian government has introduced the visa through a pilot program for only five selected countries in the Pacific islands including Fiji, Kiribati, Timor-Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu.
Although the application had been closed, it allowed up to 200 long-term Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme workers to bring their children and spouses to Australia.
The number of Tongan families approved under the visa scheme is currently unclear.
Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Employment Ministry Maretino Nemani announced today that 82 Fijian families will participate in this pilot initiative.
“The family accompaniment visa enables approved workers to bring their spouses or partners and children to Australia,” Mr Nemani was quoted as saying by the Fiji Times.
He said the pilot program will soon include a debriefing session for the participating families, preparing them for the transition.
Eligibility
Workers participating in the family accompaniment pilot had to meet the eligibility criteria and have the support of their employer.
The worker must be a long-term PALM scheme worker who had been in Australia for at least 10 months on their current contract when they applied or who is returning to the same employer.
The worker must have at least 18 months remaining on their visa.
The visa was created to help ease the challenges related to family separation.
Children abuse concerns
The Pacific Islands children are being left behind by their parents, who are taking up opportunities presented by regional labour mobility schemes, increasing concerns about child abuse.
This issue was brought up at a recent regional forum in Port Vila. Stakeholders said that many children are raised by their grandparents while their parents leave their home country for seasonal employment in Australia and New Zealand.
During the recent Protecting Children in the Context of Labour Mobility conference, Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister Matai Seremaiah said many children in the Pacific no longer live with their parents due to the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme in New Zealand or the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) schemes, as reported by RNZ Pacific.
“A significant number of children in the Pacific do not live with their biological parents, or primary caregivers, which in some cases may heighten the risk of neglect, abuse and exploitation,” Seremaiah reportedly said.
Vanuatu is the largest supplier of labour to Australia and New Zealand, accounting for over 35 per cent (over 16,500) of seasonal workers.
PALM Scheme
The PALM scheme is Australia’s primary temporary migration program for unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled positions.
It allows eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from nine Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available.
Through the PALM scheme, eligible businesses can recruit workers for seasonal jobs lasting up to 9 months or for longer-term roles lasting between one and four years.
The scheme also allows Pacific and Timor-Leste workers to take up jobs in Australia, develop their skills and send income home to support their families and communities.
