The Seasonal Workers Program (SWP) is an Australian
Government labour mobility initiative started in
2008 to meet seasonal labour shortages by recruiting
workers from Timor-Leste, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua
New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu,
and Vanuatu for the horticulture sector and four trial
sectors: accommodation, aquaculture, cotton, and
sugar cane industries. This In Brief explores TimorLeste’s
participation in the SWP and the experiences
of East Timorese workers in the accommodation and
horticulture sectors.
The current quota of 2,500 workers for the financial
year 2013–14 is considerably smaller than New Zealand’s
Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme of 8,000.
As highlighted by Doyle and Howes (2013a), the SWP
should be rethought to increase employer participation
within Australia. The failure to fill the quota for the new
trial sectors is largely due to competition from cheaper
illegal labour (backpackers on Work and Holiday Visas),
and strict regulations for employers on workers’ wages
and pastoral care. Employers also bear a portion of the
initial cost of airfares to hire offshore workers, which can
be a financial disincentive, particularly for small-holder
businesses. Furthermore, the SWP has had limited outreach
and promotion in Australia by government and
industry (Doyle and Howes 2013a).
Due to the small pool of Australian Approved
Employers, labour-sending countries in the SWP must
compete to attract interest from potential employers.
Timor-Leste is relatively disadvantaged due to its late
entry into the program in 2012. On the other hand, the
high numbers of Tongan workers in the SWP is attributed
to strong migrant networks in Australia; Tongan and
Samoan workers have gained reputable status through
their long-term participation in New Zealand’s scheme.
Recommendations to improve the program include
removing incentives for backpackers to work in the horticulture
sector, tackling illegal labour, placing Melanesian
countries as a recruitment priority, expanding the Work
and Holiday Visa to the Pacific region, and increasing
recruitment quotas (Doyle and Howes 2013a; 2013b).