What is it about?
The article traces the history of the working holiday visa and discusses whether the current policy settings are optimal in the context of Australia's broader migration program.
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Why is it important?
The article is important because Working Holiday Makers area significant part of the low-skilled workforce in Australia, particularly in horticulture, and this raises questions about their suitability as low-skilled workers, the protection of their rights in the workplace, and their reliability in meeting labour supply needs in horticulture and other industries.
Perspectives
With the number of Working Holiday visa grants now topping 200,000 annually, Working Holiday Makers are significant participants in low skilled work in Australia. I am concerned that the program is not adequately regulated to protect working holiday makers in this work. In light of concerns around the exploitation of Working Holiday Makers, the article offers suggestions for reform to the program. Working Holiday makers should be limited to work that is appropriate for young migrants on a brief cultural visit, and that labour shortages should otherwise be filled using dedicated temporary labour migration visas which are properly designed to address labour shortages in the economy. Reform is necessary to protect the work conditions of local and migrant workers, to maintain Australia’s reputation as a country with high employment standards, and to maintain positive relations with countries in the Working Holiday program.
Mr Alexander Peter Reilly
University of Adelaide
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Low-cost labour or cultural exchange? Reforming the Working Holiday visa programme, The Economic and Labour Relations Review, August 2015, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1035304615598160.
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