Australia has dismissed Indonesian workers as part of an expansion to the Seasonal Worker Program specifically designed to support key Australian industry sectors such as horticulture, hospitality and tourism. Not surprising really! Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced in September that extending the Seasonal Guest Worker Pilot Scheme to include Nauru, Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu would give Pacific nations an important economic boost and also help Australian agricultural producers. Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuat…
Diplomatic lessons from ‘Bali Boy’case The safe return last week of the young NSW boy - now known as the ‘Bali Boy’- after being held in Indonesia for three months would have been welcomed by his parents, the Australian government and most fair-minded Australians. But there are some diplomatic lessons to be learned from this case that captured the headlines not only in Australia but throughout Indonesia. Fourteen years ago, the arrest of this boy could probably have been resolved through the ‘appropriate channels’ very quickly. Under the …
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