A total of 100 families have successfully completed pre-departure training as part of the Pacific Labour Mobility Scheme, enabling them to join their family members in Australia.

Minister for Employment Agni Deo Singh told Fiji One News, that these families were selected based on their strong records and good behavior, which were considered by Australian employers who shortlisted the candidates.

Under this programme, the spouses of the workers will also have the chance to find employment in Australia, while their children will have access to education at local rates.

“We have been given the opportunity to send 100 families, and this is entirely dependent on the choice of the employer. They determine the performance of the worker who is there, and then gives us the list of names, and we make arrangements for those families to move over to Australia”, Singh said.

The scheme aims to strengthen ties between Fiji and Australia by providing Fijians with employment opportunities and the ability to reunite with family members already working in Australia.

“They have also been through pre-departure programme, whereby we have been able to sensitize them in the same manner in which we prepare our workers before they leave”, he said.