Pacific workers, not backpackers, should do Australia’s regional work – World Bank
Written by Ben Doherty
Boost to Pacific economies would be equivalent to 26% of Australia’s entire aid budget for the region, report argues
Australia should consider abolishing the three-month regional work requirement for holidaying backpackers and fill the labour gap with an expanded seasonal worker program to help boost Pacific economies, the World Bank argues in a new report.
Backpackers outnumber seasonal workers by six to one in Australia’s agricultural sector, with more than 36,000 taking jobs, mainly in horticulture, each year.
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