Pregnant Vanuatu absconders face medical hardship

Sep 23, 2024 | News | 0

Some Vanuatu women who have travelled to Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and disengaged from the scheme are facing difficulties when giving birth in Australia due to high medical fees.

A PALM worker, who chose to remain anonymous, reported that when someone absconds and becomes pregnant, it is challenging to afford medical care, which is expensive in Australia. They either have to pay for it or abandon the baby.

“Sometimes they tell the expats to adopt their baby so they can pay for the baby’s medical fees, allowing the mother to deliver. Sometimes they deliver and leave the baby alone,” the source told the Daily Post.

“The problem they face is that they have no insurance. When they receive money, it is in cash, not deposited into their accounts. They move from place to place, and when there is no work, they travel to another farm where they can find a job.

“Sometimes, they are left without work and must contact their families by phone. If a family member is far away, they have to reach out to them. They are working in conditions that resemble slavery.”

The Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported on Wednesday that in New South Wales (NSW), an unidentified woman gave birth to a child prematurely and was then hit with a $25,000 bill (VT2 million). She disconnected the child and left the hospital because she knew she would never be able to pay it; a source reported that the woman was from Vanuatu.

The source also told the Daily Post that a Vanuatu national, who had been living nearby and had absconded, surrendered to the police, stating he was allegedly tired of staying in Australia. The police notified Immigration, and he was reportedly deported back to Vanuatu with nothing. He may have transferred his money to Vanuatu before his deportation.

Meanwhile, the AAP reported that a landmark report from independent NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner James Cockayne found an estimated 16,400 people are trapped in modern slavery in NSW. The report also indicated that in Griffith, in NSW’s Riverina region, there are early warning indicators suggesting that organised labour trafficking may be emerging on a small scale.

“The number of workers has grown substantially over the past five years from about 6,000 to almost 32,000 workers nationwide, with the largest numbers coming from Fiji and Vanuatu,” AAP stated.

“In NSW, there are 6,135 PALM workers (about a fifth of the national total), with the majority in long-term work, mostly in meat processing (77 per cent).”

In the AAP report, it was also revealed that Independent MP Joe McGirr, who heads parliament’s modern slavery committee, is calling for an inquiry with investigative powers.

He stated in the AAP report, “When you mention the word modern slavery, most people say in Australia it’s not possible, but when you dig into it you realise we have instances of people living in slave-like conditions in labour. As Australians, we don’t want this happening on our soil; we need to get to the bottom of this.”

One of the Department of Labour’s senior officers in Australia was contacted for comments but has yet to respond.

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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Pikinini Playtime founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tony Batten has described Vanuatu’s education situation as a “national disaster”, warning that poor literacy outcomes among children could affect the country’s future development. Speaking during an interview on Kava Mo Kajap, Mr. Batten said reports that around 70 per cent of children are unable to read and write at the expected level should be treated as a serious national concern. “I think it is a national disaster, like a hurricane or an earthquake,” Mr. Batten said. He said Vanuatu’s greatest resource is not its land or natural resources, but its people, and education is the foundation needed to develop that human resource. “Human resources are the number one resource for Vanuatu,” he said. Mr. Batten said countries that have successfully moved from being less developed to more advanced economies have done so by investing heavily in education and building a skilled population. However, he said Vanuatu’s current education results remain a major concern despite the country spending a significant amount of its national budget on education. “Vanuatu gives a lot of money per capita into education, but the results are still among the lowest in the Pacific,” he said. The Pikinini Playtime founder said the challenge is not only about funding but about how the education system delivers results. He questioned why many students continue to leave school without basic reading and writing skills despite years spent in classrooms. Mr. Batten said the impact of poor education outcomes can also be seen in the country’s workforce, where businesses often recruit skilled workers from overseas to fill positions. “We bring people from the Philippines and other countries to do accounting, bookkeeping, management, building and supervisory work, but many ni-Vanuatu are not able to take those opportunities because they do not have the basic education,” he said. He said the literacy issue must be addressed early because children who fail to develop strong reading skills in their early years often struggle throughout their education journey. Mr. Batten also raised concerns about the value placed on education within the system. He said teacher absenteeism, weak accountability and a lack of support for educators contribute to children losing confidence in learning. “When children see that school is not important, they begin to believe they don’t need school,” he said. Mr. Batten acknowledged that many teachers are working under difficult conditions but said the system needs stronger support, training and leadership to improve outcomes. He believes improving education requires everyone involved — government, schools, teachers, principals and parents — to work together. “Children are smart. They have the ability. But they need the right support and the right opportunities,” he said. Mr. Batten said addressing literacy must become a national priority because the future of Vanuatu depends on the quality of education provided to today’s children. SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST

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