Abal slams bad label on workers’ scheme
27/8/08
The Australian government’s three-year pilot Pacific seasonal workers’ scheme should not be described as demeaning for Papua New Guineans, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Minister Sam Abal said yesterday. “It is not the same as indentured labour or black birding. “This is a conscious government-to-government-sponsored scheme where individuals and the host entities would be fully aware and enter into an arrangement,” Mr Abal said in response to yesterday’s criticisms in the media. He said the PNG Government was appreciative of Australia’s inclusion of Papua New Guineans in the pilot workers’ scheme.
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