Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question:

In respect to the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme (the Pilot) and as of 15 July 2011:

(a) 550 workers have participated in the Pilot.

(b) Table 1 contains the number of Pacific seasonal workers who have participated in the Pilot by agricultural location, mapped to postcode level.

Please note that some Pacific seasonal workers have worked in more than one location. Pacific seasonal workers are mapped against each location they have worked in.

Table 1.

(c) The Pilot will run to 30 June 2012.

(d) The Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements for the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Portfolio, 2008–09, p.19, displays both the Administered and Departmental funding estimates for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to establish the Pilot—see Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Visa compliance is the responsibility of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). DIAC advises that visa compliance by Pacific seasonal workers has been very high with only one worker not departing before their Special Program (Subclass 416) visa expired in November 2010. Requests for information about the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's compliance activities in locating visa overstayers should be referred to the Minister for Immigration and Citizen

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