Banaban Voice

News and information service for Banaban Network Worldwide!

Australia looking to expand its proposed Migrant Worker Scheme

ABC Radio Australia
3 Feb 2009

Australia's Trade minister says he wants to expand the country's termporary Pacific workers' scheme to become a broader, training and workers exchange mechanism. His comments to Radio Australia come as trade officials from Pacific countries prepare to meet in Australia later this month for further talks on expanding free trade in the region. Its the latest of several preliminary meetings on the proposed PACER-plus trade framework.

Presenter: Linda Mottram
Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean, Samoa's Hans Joachim Kiel, key regional trade negotiator.


Listen: Windows Media

MOTTRAM: In the face of a rapidly shrinking global economy, the world's trade ministers are fighting back protectionism, trying to keep the free trade mantra alive .. arguing that beyond simply producing goods and selling them domestically, trade can multiply value and grow economies. In seeking to apply the principle to the diverse nations of the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand have drawn some sharp criticism .. that Australia in particular is pushing to hold its place in the Pacific in the face of growing Asian and European roles in the region, that the region's big brothers will get binding trade agreements in exchange for aid that probably would have been given anyway. Australia's Trade minister Simon Crean acknowledges the region's concerns.

CREAN: Part of the difficulty with these things Linda is that there, people have perceptions and fears, we need to address those we need to overcome them, we are prepared to spend the time reinforcing this. I've had lots of dialogue with my counterparts at the ministerial level.

MOTTRAM: More dialogue, at a lower level, is scheduled for the week of February 16, when PACER-plus officials will gather for a third meeting in Adelaide. Samoa's Hans Joachim Kiel, who's a key regional trade negotiator, speaking on the line from Apia, says Pacific nations won't be giving in easily when eventually full blown PACER-plus negotiations begin.

KIEL: There are concerns but its something that can be worked over because that's what negotiations are all about. Its a dialogue and we have to come to an amicable consensus or solution to this. Its not that the island nations are going to sit back and give up everything its that we talk and see what is the best for us.

MOTTRAM: Mr Kiel alludes to the difficulties with the Pacific's trade negotiations with Europe and says the island nations have learned from their mistakes.

And as an example, where Mr Crean asserts that trade liberalisation is in the interests of the Pacific as a whole, Mr Kiel cautions there are different views of such matters.

KIEL: Everyone has their interpretation, that would be the honorable trade minister Simon Crean's interpretation, the Pacific islands might have a different interpretation but when we meet to negotiate, then we can work out what the interpretation is.

MOTTRAM: Simon Crean uses the example of the 25 year old Closer Economic Relations agreement between Australia and New Zealand to point to the potential success of deals in the Pacific. Pacific states might politely make the point that none of them measures up to New Zealand's, let alone Australia's, economic weight and that they are all very different nations, not one homogenous whole.

But there is one area where there appears to be regional agreement. Simon Crean again.

CREAN: The fact that we've got a pilot program for labour mobility, I would genuinely like to see this turn into a training, development, skill formation type mechanism that had movement of people within the Pacific, not just between Australia and the Pacific. And when you look at some of the potential huge developments that are on the books, take PNG with their gas for example, this whole issue of integrating skill development, infrastructure building and opening up trading opportunities becomes we think quite attractive.

Samoa's Hans Joachim Kiel is first keen to see his country included in Australia's temporary Pacific workers program but agrees on the vision for expanding it.

KIEL: So its not just working in the orchards or farms, there are other aspects of this that we can work towards but this is a beginning.

MOTTRAM: There is then some common ground, but the picture is much bigger than just a few thousand seasonal workers.

Views: 31

Comment

You need to be a member of Banaban Voice to add comments!

Join Banaban Voice

Forum

Visiting Rabi and Ocean Island

Started by brian russell in Banaban Issues. Last reply by Stacey King Apr 16, 2020. 7 Replies

Homecoming to Banaba

Started by Christina Maree Buchanan in Banaban Issues Jun 27, 2019. 0 Replies

Slides of Banaba from the 1960's

Started by Dominic Kaukas in Banaban Issues. Last reply by Stacey King Jun 13, 2019. 1 Reply

Events

HELP RABI WOMEN IN FIJI

Help Rabi Women's Organisation in Fiji by purchasing RABI HANDMADE VIRGIN COCONUT OIL locally in Suva, Fiji

Contact

Terikano

for more details

Badge

Loading…

Radio Links

Bwanan Rabi Radio

(10pm Fiji Time 1&2nd Monday each month)

Live Broadcast

© 2024   Created by Stacey King.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service