Australia opens the gate for ASEAN agricultural workers

In addition, the multinational grocer Tesco in an investigation of its contracted workers found that suppliers had withheld the passports of 68 Indonesian and 171 Nepali workers in Malaysia, while 15 passports and up to 30 work permits were withheld by a supplier in Thailand.

Foreign worker plight may be increased further, according to a press statement by the anti-slavery NGO Freedom United. A government proposal is being contemplated to deduct 20 percent of workers’ salaries in a scheme to prevent them from fleeing from their employers, and restrict their movement.

The situation in Australia is sometimes not much better. Asia Sentinel reported extensive exploitation in abattoirs, where migrant slaughtermen ha the agreed wages regularly cut for dubious reasons, not given required pay allowances, and not provided with medical assistance, when injured on the job.

Asia Sentinel has found that a large number of Australian migration agents (AMAs), and manpower companies in based Thailand and Vietnam are preparing to engage this new opportunity, opening up with the ASEAN agriculture worker scheme. Fees and charges could be potentially worth AUD 60 million per annum, to the handful of companies that successfully recruit, process, and place workers in jobs.

If Australian Home Affairs is not careful, this new scheme could potentially become and source of corruption and human exploitation.

One registered migration agent who Asia Sentinel interviewed was Robert Chelliah, the CEO of Australian Migration Agents Pty Ltd an Australian expatriate who also runs an organic cropsfarm, Lexmin Pty. Ltd., in Cambodia. Robert, 82, told Asia Sentinel that there must be due care in selecting the right candidates for the right jobs in Australia, and look after their interests after they have travelled to Australia to work. Done correctly with proper support facilities, this will prevent the horror stories of exploitation, along the whole labour supply chain. Chelliah holds the view that if framed under the Australian Aid program it will further promote a win-win relationship between Australia and the respective Asean Countries.

Chelliah plans an innovative labour support system, that trains and nurtures workers for their future jobs, processes their visa applications as a Registered Migration Agent as well as an experienced farm operator and provides a culturally friendly environment, once they arrive in Australia. Chelliah is attempting to connect the Cambodian Agricultural ministry with Ausaid to support and partially fund the concept.

There are also issues about how quarantine would be handled upon arriving in Australia. The costs of hotel quarantine, would erode workers income. It remains to be seen whether federal and state authorities will allow and alternative quarantine system in dormitories for the ASEAN workers.

Competition among  RMAs and manpower agencies is rife, where the workers of each country have strengths and weaknesses, that each group want to strategize upon, to obtain as much of the quota they can, as possible. Indonesian, and Philippine workers will have a much better command of English than, Thais, Lao’s, Cambodians and Vietnamese. Malaysian workers are already well known to Australian farmers, where many have a management capability. The work ethics of each grouping is different, suitable in different modes of work. RMAs and Manpower Agents are developing these issues into sales spiels and already talking to potential employers across rural Australia, trying to do deals.

The new ASEAN visa scheme will lead to many benefits for all sides. Australian farmers and agriproduct processors are generally positive about the potential new source of labour, should everything come through officially in a workable way. Similar schemes have worked well in the United States, and the Pacific Island Scheme, could be streamlined along with the new ASEAN scheme to also bring out more island workers. The government has to manage this project well and partner with the facilitators to make it work, otherwise there could be a backlash causing damage both in rural Australia and the home countries of the workers.

This is a positive step from the Keating doctrine, that Australian should play an active role, and be part of Asia. It just took thirty years.