The agreement struck today paves the way for the resumption of recruitments under the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) and Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS), which connect Pacific and Timorese workers with Australian businesses and fill rural and regional workforce shortages when Australian workers are not available.
The arrival of new workers under these programmes had to be paused in March because of necessary COVID-19 travel restrictions, which are protecting the health of Australians, Pacific Islanders and Timorese.
The Morrison Government is focused on ensuring Australian growers and other critical industries have access to the labour force they need. Filling these positions will not come at the expense of getting Australians into jobs. Approved Employers can recruit through the Pacific labour mobility programs only if they can demonstrate they cannot find suitable Australian workers.
Source: Seasonal-and-Pacific-workers-to-help-fill-labour-gaps.pdf