Seasonal workers’ actions embarrass PM Rabuka

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says problems caused by some Fijian seasonal workers in Australia are embarrassing.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles yesterday, Mr Rabuka said most complaints about the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme were caused by workers, not their employers or the Australian government.

The seasonal workers programme provides employment opportunities for Pacific islanders in Australian farms and businesses.

“Not by the employers or not by the Australian government. And that is something that we have to sort out here before they are deployed.”

Mr Rabuka said individual cases should not reflect poorly on all Fijian workers in Australia.

“A lot of those things are not national. They cannot rank the whole of Fiji just because a few of our workers have misbehaved,” he said.

Mr Rabuka said the Ministry of Employment should examine the issues in detail and announce plans to address the concerns during Fiji Day celebrations in Australia next weekend.

“I will also have representatives from the Fiji Ministry of Labour. And hopefully I can ask the Australian government to allow their representative to come along so that he and I can hear the problem together,” Mr Rabuka said.

Mr Marles said Australia continues to monitor the experiences of seasonal workers and is committed to improving the programme.

“We very much want to listen to the experiences of those people from the Pacific, from Fiji, who are working in Australia and ensure that we are improving their experiences as much as possible,” Mr Marles said.