Timor-Leste Ambassador to Australia Inês Maria de Almeida recently visited Flinders University as part of an ongoing collaborative research project investigating temporary labour migration of Timorese people.

Project lead Associate Professor Udoy Saikia, from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, presented the initial findings to provide the Ambassador with an update on the project, titled Wellbeing impacts of temporary labour migration in Timor-Leste: A comparative evaluation of the Australian Seasonal Workers Programme (ASWP),

The first phase of the project, which is funded by the Australian Research Council Linkage scheme with support from the Timor-Leste Government, DFAT (Government of Australia), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was completed at the end of 2022 in various districts of Timor-Leste, involving surveys among Timorese workers who returned to their home country after completing  employment periods in Australia and Korea.

The project’s second phase involves surveys among Timorese  currently working in Australia under the ASWP.

Based on the initial findings, the Ambassador of Timor-Leste emphasised the importance of reintegration programs for Timorese workers so that they can maintain overall wellbeing in life after returning to their home country.

The project is expected to have the surveys completed in Australia by the end of June 2023, with the findings to be presented to partner organisations at an international workshop in August 2023.

The project is likely to be extended to include two more countries in such surveys – Kiribati and Vanuatu.