Australia moves closer to accepting Pacific Island migrant workers

The government of Australia has made a move towards allowing temporary workers from the Pacific Islands, it has emerged.

According to reports, signs of a shift have come as Duncan Kerry, the parliamentary secretary for Pacific Island affairs, has called upon businesses to demonstrate the areas when greater employee levels are necessary, reports the Age.

The Pacific Islands includes a number of different countries, including Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

Indeed, the farming sector has already expressed concerns over an employee shortage, with Australia's National Farmers Federation stating that the country's entire agricultural sector has around 10,000 unfilled vacancies.

"We're interested in assessing demand from employers in Australia to make certain that there is real demand, that people are not simply looking for a way to exploit a workforce that can be paid less than Australians," said Mr Kerry.

Under any scheme, guest workers coming to Australia would be required, at the end of their stay, to return home to their country of origin.