A Federal Government program allowing fruit pickers from Vanuatu to travel to the Northern Territory is thrown into question by the Vanuatu Government.
The Federal Government's pilot program to allow fruit pickers from Vanuatu to travel to the Northern Territory has been thrown into question, with a Vanuatu Government spokesman telling the ABC most ministers are against the plan.Vanuatu's Government says a majority of its ministers oppose sending workers to Australia due to COVID-19
But a spokesman for the Prime Minister of Vanuatu Bob Loughman told the ABC that the scheme may not proceed, saying some Vanuatu government ministers wanted to instead focus on repatriating their own citizens who are currently overseas."The Government of Vanuatu through its Council of Ministers has not, at this stage, made a decision to give a green light for the sending of the seasonal workers to Darwin early next week," he said.
If the pilot program does collapse, it would be a blow to the Northern Territory's mango industry and a diplomatic embarrassment for the Federal Government.
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