The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) of Việt Nam and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Việt Nam's participation in the Australian Agriculture Visa Programme. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) of Việt Nam and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday signed the first bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Australian Agriculture Visa Programme.

Vietnamese labour minister Đào Ngọc Dung and Australian foreign minister Marise Payne represented the two countries’ governments in signing the MoU.

At the signing ceremony, Dung emphasised the deal is an important milestone in the cooperation relations between the two countries.

“In the context of deepening international cooperation and integration, the MoU will be an effective job creation channel, bringing economic benefits, contributing to ensuring sustainable social security, unleashing potentials, and contributing to the promotion of the bilateral cooperation relationship between Việt Nam and Australia to be even more successful and prosperous,” the labour minister said.

He also expects the MoU will create a legal framework, that facilitates the entry of Vietnamese citizens into Australia to work in the agricultural sector.

“Việt Nam’s participation in this programme strengthens and extends the already rich people-to-people links our two countries share. For decades, Vietnamese workers, students, business people, and tourists have made extensive contributions to Australia. The Australian Government looks forward to this continuing under the programme,” Australian foreign minister Marise Payne said.

Việt Nam’s early participation in the Australian Agriculture Visa Programme demonstrates the Morrison Government’s commitment to deepening cooperation under the Australia-Việt Nam Strategic Partnership, she noted.

This is a key initiative of the Australia-Việt Nam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy launched by our countries’ Prime Ministers on 1 November 2021, Marise Payne said.

The Australian Agriculture Visa programme is intended to provide a sustainable, long-term contribution to Australia’s labour supply that supports Australia’s agricultural and primary industry sectors.

It supplements the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, which remains the mainstay for meeting agricultural workforce shortages in our primary industries sector and the key solution for the current harvest, the Australian diplomat remarked.

Under the Australian Agriculture Visa programme, employees will be recruited to work across a range of agriculture sectors, including horticulture, dairy, wool, grains, fisheries and forestry, including support services and primary processing.

It is expected that Australia will receive about 1,000 Vietnamese agricultural labourers a year, with basic salary (excluding living expenses) from AU$3,200-4,000 a month, quite a competitive level compared to other labour markets popular among Vietnamese workers. — VNS