Exploring accountability of Australia and New Zealand's temporary labour mobility programmes in Samoa using a talanoa approach

Abstract

PurposeTemporary labour mobility programmes (TLMPs) are initiated by high-income nations to fill their labour demands by offering temporary work opportunities to migrants from low-income nations. TLMPs also seek to contribute to economic development in workers' home countries. This paper aims to assess the accountability of New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme and Australia's Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) in reaching their economic development objectives in one sending nation, Samoa.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study with RSE and SWP workers and key informants (collectively stakeholders) in Samoa was undertaken to assess the contributions of these schemes to economic development. An interdisciplinary research approach was taken using the Pacific methodology of talanoa. Talanoa was used to “operationalise engagement” and empower local stakeholder accounts.FindingsTalanoa supported the elicitation of accounts that contributed nuanced insights into the accountability of TLMPs. Specifically, stakeholder accounts revealed limitations in the ability of the RSE Scheme and SWP to meet their economic development objectives for Samoan communities and workers. Adjustments are necessary to meet Pacific nations' economic development objectives.Practical implicationsThis study responds to calls for on-the-ground accounts of stakeholders involved in TLMPs. It provides insights that may contribute to the development of more effective TLMPs, particularly regarding economic development in workers' home countries.Originality/valueDrawing on dialogic accounting literature, which calls for engagement with the marginalised, a talanoa approach has been engaged to assess TLMPs via on-the-ground participant accounts in a specific context. This paper introduces talanoa to the critical and social accounting literature, to move beyond a typical accounting qualitative interview process and encourage greater engagement and collaboration with Pacific scholars and partners.

Agrifood systems knowledge exchange through Australia‐Pacific circular migration schemes

“…Previous studies have shown that SWP employers prefer workers from rural areas of PICs, and look to build relationships of trust with workers from particular areas who may return for several seasons (Bailey & Rereman, 2019). However, there are equity considerations around allowing workers to return for many seasons, because others may miss out on the income‐earning potential offered by SWP participation (Doan et al., 2020; Perkiss et al., 2022).…”

“…Previous studies have shown that SWP employers prefer workers from rural areas of PICs, and look to build relationships of trust with workers from particular areas who may return for several seasons . However, there are equity considerations around allowing workers to return for many seasons, because others may miss out on the income-earning potential offered by SWP participation (Doan et al, 2020;Perkiss et al, 2022). At the intersection of Pacific labour mobility, agricultural production, and food security initiatives, there is an as yet largely underexplored opportunity to understand how workers involved in circular migration, via labour mobility programs between Australia and PICs, participate in agricultural knowledge flows (Dun & Klocker, 2017).…”

Women's Experiences of Postnatal Depression in Samoa

“…The talanoa method as a form of engagement is described by Perkiss (2022) as a research methodology that can be applied as a theory as well as a method. It is commonly used for research in the Pacific Islands region and is amongst the suite of qualitative research approaches used in interdisciplinary studies.…”

“…It is commonly used for research in the Pacific Islands region and is amongst the suite of qualitative research approaches used in interdisciplinary studies. It is a traditional Pacific practice about connecting people and storytelling, which belongs to an interpretive-constructivist paradigm (Perkiss, 2022). The talanoa method as identified by Vaioleti (2006) is a shared act of social, political, and critical conversation conducted for a purpose.…”

“…Enari (2021) argued that talanoa as a method has enabled an intergenerational ethical understanding of issues that researchers studied. While Perkiss (2022) has considered talanoa as a form of engagement, for this study, it is an engagement of a different kind. That is, to hear women's experiences and stories of PND had to be done face to-face at homes and at their convenience too.…”