Welcoming Seasonal Workers in Australia

The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) has been collaborating with Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) in supporting a network of parishes and ministries doing pastoral care with seasonal workers under the Australian Government’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme (the scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from nine Pacific Islands (Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available). The purpose of the network is to work closely with parishes and stakeholders and assist with information sharing, capability building, and networking to better understand and facilitate the concerns and welfare of seasonal workers. The network’s quarterly meetings and formation are just some of the activities to ensure the voices of the seasonal workers will be heard so that their concerns and needs can be addressed.

The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office’s (ACMRO) 7th National Conference will be held on 18-19 July 2024, at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Melbourne Campus. The title of the conference is Welcoming Seasonal Workers in Australia: Gift and Responsibility. The conference will affirm the collaboration of three organisations, ACMRO, the Office for Justice, Ecology, and Peace (OJEP), and Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH), in raising awareness and promoting just outcomes for seasonal and migrant workers. The event will serve as a platform for informed discussions, advocacy, and policy development in support of these vulnerable workers, emphasising the social, cultural, and environmental dimensions of this critical issue.

Registration details and the conference program will be released at a later date. IN the meantime mark the conference date in your diary. Read more…