Australia Pacific guest worker scheme delay

Updated September 30, 2008 10:29:03

Australia's guest worker scheme involving Vanuatu, Tonga, PNG and Kiribati is unlikely to be up and running before the year's end. That's because the Australian government is yet to finalise how the visas will be allocated and also which potential employers may qualify to employ Pacific workers. The three year trial program which is to be reviewed 18 months after it starts is designed to overcome the worker shortage in Australia's horticultural sector.