Comments

Dear John Thank you for your request for advice on how best your Association can connect with Australian farmers wanting to employ seasonal workers from Papua New Guinea. First, direct contact with a fruit grower will not have any impact, as farmers and labour hire companies only want to work through people with whom they know and have built up a relationship of trust. A cold call out of the blue to market your services will not work. Second, in making your case to the relevant government unit, it is important to start with the official statistics on PNG’s share of the seasonal workforce from the Pacific and Timor-Leste in Australia. These statistics for August 2025 show that of the 14,300 seasonal workers on short term contracts, only 325 are from PNG. This is only 2.3% of the total. To the end of August 2025, the number of PNG workers is just over half of what it was in June 2023. So for reasons I do not know, PNG’s share of the seasonal workforce is low and has fallen over the last two years. The number of PNG seasonal workers in New Zealand is also low at 354 in August 2025. Third, according to the 2025 Budget Papers (Volume 1, p105), the PNG Government remains committed to achieving its target of 8,000 workers working in Australia and New Zealand by the end of 2025. However, current statistics show that this does not look at all possible. The total number in August 2025 of short-term and long-term PNG workers in Australia (2,195) and New Zealand (402) only gives a total 2,597. Fourth, the Australian Government has committed to increasing PNG’s access to work in Australia for its citizens. The joint statement after the recent 31st Australia-Papua New Guinea Ministerial Forum (October 2025) noted that the ‘Ministers agreed that labour mobility programs were a clear win-win option for PNG and Australia. PNG workers are helping meet labour shortages in many sectors of the Australian economy …’. However, the Ministers also acknowledged that ‘more could be done to accelerate the number of Papua New Guineans working in Australia’. They further agreed to ‘diversify, expand and grow PNG's labour participation across PALM scheme sectors’. But no mention was made of the specific actions to be taken. Nor was any reference to the 2024 Ministerial Meeting’s agreed PNG-Australia Joint Action Plan on labour mobility and reporting on the six monthly review of actions taken. So, armed with this information, I suggest that you contact the PNG Government’s Labour Mobility Unit, an independent body located in the PNG Treasury to get their help. https://www.treasury.gov.pg/special-projects/labour-mobility-unit/. Here are the contact details for the Treasury: Phone: (675) 3133 541 or (675) 3133 1222. Email: enquiries@treasury.gov.pg.

I am student of professional masters on Disaster Management and Vulnerability studies In Dhaka University my monogram is ‘Forecast based Finace Disasters Management Combined on Climate Finance, Predicted Analysis humanitarian Aid’.

Pomio District ENBP is still facing issues on logging operations and Oilpalm expansion not being addressed by leaders. How can we find the right authority to hold accountable for those Malaysians?

Hi Natasha, thank you for the insightful progress report for the Pacific Engagement Visa 2024 cohorts. I have a question in regards to Settlement Supports like access to Australia's universal health care system Medicare, education, cost of raising a family like Family Tax Benefit (FTB) A and B. How long does it take for a PEV holder recently relocated to Australia to access these Settlements Supports?

Hi Richard, I am the President of Mompou Association Incorporated, an association incorporated in 2020 in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands Province of PNG with well over 300+ members from the Mompou community. Mompou Association Incorporated was incorporated with two main objectives: one being SME (a loan scheme to benefit members) and another being Social Welfare or Services (managing social programs to benefit members). One of the social welfare programs I am embarking on is Labour Mobility to benefit Mompou Association members. I am strongly considering establishing a direct arrangement with Fruit Picking Farms in Australia or New Zealand. The association was incorporated to serve its members, and our vision is to see the Mompou community become a better and model community in Western Highlands Province and PNG as a whole. We are committed to our objectives and would like to seek advice on how we can make this arrangement. As President of the association, my aim is to ensure that members aged between 18 and 45 have a second chance in life so that they can positively impact the Mompou community upon their return. Please advise me on establishing a direct arrangement with a farm in Australia or New Zealand.

This article made me stop and think. I still have a question about one part. Thanks for sharing such useful insights.

I wish you all the best. It’s a beautiful country with so much potential, wish I could help.

Well written, Kiery.

I am glad to see women’s empowerment to water resources is a top priority. It just seems too slow for such important resources to be sidelined.

Did you end up getting a birth certificate? I have applied and still waiting for my partner's certificate.

The article focuses mainly on blended finance. What about impact investing? It has grown rapidly in recent years ("from billions to trillions"), allowing people and foundations to contribute to businesses and projects that aim to generate both financial returns and measurable social or economic benefits. The total market for impact investing has grown to US$1.6 trillion, a 16-fold increase in just seven years and seven times global foreign aid. Impact investment facilities offer solutions to many pressing global issues, such as education, climate change, access to finance and healthcare.

Seeking information on how to apply online for Australia and New Zealand farm work for the next recruitment in 2026.