By Linny Folau

The new Australian Government will make a decision this year on whether they can move toward introducing a new Labour Mobility Scheme to the Pacific.

This was revealed by Hon. Bob McMullan, the Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, today in their first Parliamentary Secretaries Joint Visit to Tonga with Hon. Duncan Kerr, the Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs.

McMullan said they told the Tongan Prime Minister Hon. Dr Feleti Sevele whom they met today that Australia knows there are lots of countries in the Pacific including Tonga who are very interested in the scheme that is otherwise known as the Seasonal Workers Scheme. He said New Zealand is currently undertaking the scheme.

"What we said before the election remains our policy after the election, that is we will look closely at the New Zealand initiative and talk to friends in Pacific about whether it has been successful," he said.

"So during the course of this calendar year 2008 we will make a decision whether we can go in that direction and if so in what form that initiative will take.

"We are aware of it, we are interested in it but we have not made a commitment to it."

He added there are lots of complexities in Australia, but they would closely monitor what is happening in New Zealand and "we will make a decision during the course of this year whether we will proceed and if so how," he added.

Pacific relationship

Hon. Duncan Kerr said their visit, which includes Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati, is an initiative expressing their new government's commitment in strengthening their relationship with the Pacific.

He said after the election the new Australian Prime Minister Hon. Kevin Rudd appointed two Parliamentary Secretaries to work with him and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This was to give a greater sense on the importance of this region and to make certain there is a continuous engagement across all the Pacific countries.

The two men who also met with Tonga's Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed they had a very open, constructive and useful discussion with the Tongan Prime Minister.

"We made a point in not seeking to criticize the former Australian Government when we say that we wish to strengthen and build its relationship with the Pacific including Tonga, and this visit is a reaffirmation of our commitment,", he said.

Aid

McMullan said from the Development Assistance point of view they have a broad commitment to substantially increase their International Development Assistance budget over the next 6-7 years, which will include the Pacific region.

He said there would be no immediate change in their current aid assistance to Tonga because of existing contractual agreements with the Tongan Government.

But one of the things the Tongan Prime Minister said this morning was his desire to put more emphasis on Technical Education and Vocational Training in our Development Assistance program and we are happy to work with that.

"So I suspect this will be the new area in the next Development Assistance Program," he added.