Australia to receive agricultural workers from Vietnam

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung (L) and Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Australian Embassy to Vietnam Mark Tattersall at the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) of Vietnam and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have signed the first bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Australian Agriculture Visa Programme.

MoLISA Minister Dao Ngoc Dung and Australian foreign minister Marise Payne represented the two countries’ governments in signing the MoU.

At the signing ceremony on March 28, Minister Dung emphasised the deal is an important milestone in the cooperation relations between the two countries.

The MoU will create a legal framework that facilitates the entry of Vietnamese citizens into Australia to work in the agricultural sector, he said.

The Australian Agriculture Visa programme is intended to provide a sustainable, long-term contribution to Australia’s labour supply that supports Australia’s agricultural and primary industry sectors.

Under the Australian Agriculture Visa programme, employees will be recruited to work across a range of agriculture sectors, including horticulture, dairy, wool, grains, fisheries and forestry, including support services and primary processing.

It is expected that Australia will receive about 1,000 Vietnamese agricultural labourers a year, with basic salary (excluding living expenses) from 3,200-4,000 AUD a month, quite a competitive level compared to other labour markets popular among Vietnamese workers./.