| ID | 182697 |
| Title Proper | Migration, family and networks |
| Other Title Information | Timorese seasonal workers' social support in Australia |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Wu, Annie Yuan Cih |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This paper explores the social support of Timorese workers under the Australian Seasonal Workers Programme (SWP). The SWP, which allows citizens from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste to work in Australian agriculture for six to nine months, has become the major source of remittances for seasonal workers from Timor-Leste. The paper describes how access to the internet and the availability of social media devices can help to maintain long-distance family relationships, support migrants' well-being and alleviate the effects of socio-spatial segregation to some extent. However, the need to earn remittances in a fixed period of time forces them to accept a trade-off in the quality of their social and personal lives in rural Australia. According to the New Economics of Labour Migration (NELM), isolation and separation from families are part of a rational household strategy to accumulate remittances. This paper argues that insufficient attention has been paid to the social costs borne by workers and left-behind households and that the sustainability of the SWP depends to a large extent on the ability of workers to find ways of meeting their needs for social support. The analysis is based on data from participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 50 Timorese seasonal workers in Australia and Timor-Leste. |
| `In' analytical Note | Asia Pacific Viewpoint Vol. 62, No.3; Dec 2021: p.313-330 |
| Journal Source | Asia Pacific Viewpoint 2021-12 62, 3 |
| Key Words | Australian Seasonal Worker Programme ; Geographical Isolation and Segregation |