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After two weeks in hotel quarantine 162 seasonal workers from Vanuatu begin their work at Northern Territory mango farms - ABC News

Lucy Felix was working in her garden in Eton village, Vanuatu, when she got an unexpected call about an opportunity on a Northern Territory farm.

The single mother had been selected by Vanuatu's Labour Department to harvest mangoes in Australia during the coronavirus pandemic.

She was shocked by the offer.

Vanuatu's borders had been tightly closed since March as an emergency response to COVID-19, and she did not think she would be allowed to leave the country.

But she did not want to miss this chance. Workers like Ms Felix earn up to $25 an hour on Australian farms — about nine times the $2.70 minimum wage in Vanuatu.

A woman with a bag on her shoulder smiles as she stands next to a stream
Mr Felix says the timing of the seasonal work is perfect as finding work in Vanuatu is hard.(Supplied)

And like many other Pacific seasonal workers, Ms Felix relies on income from the seasonal worker program to pay for her children's school fees.

Other workers have used the money to pay for their own education, family wedding ceremonies or to invest in new businesses in Vanuatu.

Ms Felix believes the timing could not be better.

Sales from her fruit and vegetable stall in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila were suffering, a downturn she blamed on the COVID-19 crisis.

"Vanuatu has laid off many people in their permanent jobs, so there [are] no jobs for everyone to pay for their families," Ms Felix said.

She said this trial in Australia was a chance for her to "help things come back" and complete her vision — to start an agricultural business in her village.

A woman takes a selfie while standing next to a field with other people standing and sitting nearby.
For at least nine months, Ms Felix and her 161 compatriots will fill labour shortages on Australian farms.(Supplied)

But the decision was not easy, and Ms Felix said she really misses her 13-year-old daughter, who is being looked after by her grandmother.

"They know why I'm here so I hope they understand and I'm looking forward to going back home and seeing them," Ms Felix said.

Ms Felix is one of 162 participants in the Federal Government's pilot seasonal worker program.

The program aims to get Pacific seasonal workers back on Australian farms during the coronavirus pandemic.

A man in high-vis work gear uses a tool to reach into a mango tree and snip fruit
Royson Watas had second thoughts about leaving his family and fishing business but ended up coming for the seasonal contract.(Supplied: Arnhem Mangoes)

After spending 14 days in hotel quarantine, last week Ms Felix and the other Ni-Vanuatu men and women started work on the farms in rural NT.

Their job can be gruelling. The workers can spend hours in the hot sun, stripping trees of mangoes.

Other workers in the packhouse fill hundreds of trays with the fruit, ready to be shipped to supermarkets around Australia.

They are helping to fill a labour shortage on Australian farms and are expected to be in the country for at least nine months.

A man uses a tool to tape up boxes of mangoes that are being packed by lines of workers behind him in a large factory.
Michael Sei Nago packs mangoes to be shipped around Australia.(ABC News: Dan Fitzgerald)

'We don't know what's going to happen out there'

Vanuatu is one of a few countries that have no confirmed cases of coronavirus, and some workers are concerned they may become infected while working in Australia.

"We're happy to come, but we're scared also," said Royson Watas, a worker from Vanuatu's northern island of Santo.

"We don't know what's going to happen out there."

A man in high-visibility work gear displays a bunch of mangoes he has just snipped from a tree in an orchard.
Mr Watas's boss said the workers from Vanuatu were easy to get along with.(Supplied: Arnhem Mangoes)

Mr Watas said he did have second thoughts about leaving his family and fishing business during the pandemic.

He was particularly concerned about being able to return to Vanuatu after his contract ends.

Some seasonal workers have been stuck in Australia with no job and no way to leave the country after border restrictions were put in place by the Vanuatu Government in March.

But Mr Watas said the risk of contracting coronavirus was low since the Northern Territory has no active cases of COVID-19, and he feels comfortable about working on the farm.

His employer, mango farmer Barry Albrecht, said he is also glad to have the Pacific labourers back.

"It costs us to bring them in, with quarantine fees and all that. But we feel they're worth it," Mr Albrecht said.

"They're so easy to get along with: polite, well-mannered, clean."

Two uniformed workers wearing hair nets and gloves inspect and sort green and yellow mangoes spread along a conveyor belt.
Tasmanian fruit growers are watching the trial program in the NT farms, with a view to replicate the scheme in their state.(ABC News: Dan Fitzgerald)

The Northern Territory Farmers Association has said it hopes more Vanuatu workers will be able to follow this first cohort, to help with the harvest season.

Other states are also considering creating similar programs, to allow workers from Pacific countries with no confirmed cases of coronavirus to work on Australian farms.

The peak body Fruit Growers Tasmania has said it was watching the outcomes of the Northern Territory trial and considering development of a travel bubble with Pacific countries.

"That's really, really good news for us in Vanuatu and people who earn a low income," Mr Watas said.

A hand picks an unripe mango from a tree
The Northern Territory's mango industry is valued at over $128 million.(Emilia Terzon)

Workers have 'big plans' for the money

Lester David from Port Vila was also hoping the pilot seasonal worker program would be expanded.

The 36-year-old bus driver has been told he is on a list of workers that will join the others in Northern Territory once a second flight is approved by the Australian and Vanuatu governments.

A smiling man holds a box packed with green mangoes as he poses next to a large stack of similar boxes.
Phillip Rauar could soon be joined by more workers from Vanuatu.(ABC News: Dan Fitzgerald)

Like many of the other workers now in Australia, Mr David has worked on Northern Territory's mango farms before, and used the money he earned to pay for two weddings in his family and to buy a bus for his business.

He hopes by returning to work in Australia, he can earn enough money to finish building his house, pay for his wedding and pay for a course in accounting management.

Mr David has wondered why Australians were not doing these farm jobs instead of men and women from Vanuatu.

But he believes the answer is simple.

Farewell ceremony in Vanuatu
Before flying to Australia, a farewell ceremony was held for the workers at Independence Park, Port Vila.(Credit: Hilaire Bule)

"Are Australians willing to work these jobs?" he said.

"I've got big plans in front of me so I'm willing to work hard towards achieving it."

The Vanuatu Prime Minister's Office said Australian and Vanuatu officials have been discussing the possibility of sending more workers to Northern Territory mango farms.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA5LTI3L3ZhbnVhdHUtbWVuLWFuZC13b21lbi1hdXN0cmFsaWEtcGljay1mcnVpdC1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1wYW5kZW1pYy8xMjY5OTA2NtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjY5OTA2Ng?oc=5

2020-09-26 20:05:00Z
CAIiEEASVEN4QxvkAh7D9_ccbr4qFggEKg4IACoGCAow3vI9MPeaCDDD9QQ

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