Papua New Guinea's outgoing treasurer Rabbie Namaliu says he cannot understand Canberra's rejection of seasonal workers from the Pacific, when Australian farmers need them.
Namaliu, a former prime minister and also foreign minister in the previous government, welcomed comments this week by World Bank president Bob Zoellick who said it was in Australia's interests to accept seasonal workers.
"Labour mobility is absolutely critical to the long-term development of the South Pacific," Zoellick said.
Failing and fragile states were dangerous to their neighbours and guest worker schemes could help such states in the Pacific, he said.
Canberra has rejected calls from Pacific nations to allow seasonal migrants to pick crops for Australian farmers facing big labour shortages.
In contrast, New Zealand has adopted a pilot scheme allowing guest pickers in.
Namaliu, who lost his Kokopo seat in last month's elections, said Zoellick's comments were an endorsement of the position taken by PNG and other Pacific states in favour of seasonal labour schemes.
Labour mobility was supported by an Australian Senate inquiry, industries, farming groups and rural communities, Namaliu said.
"I could never understand the Australian government's opposition to even a pilot project.
"PNG and other Pacific Island nations would benefit enormously through training and skills and economic remittances."
The incoming PNG government should pursue the matter through the Pacific Islands Forum, Namaliu said.
Prime Minister John Howard has said seasonal labour schemes could create an underclass that would not want to go home.
The solution for island nations lay in boosting their own economic growth, he said.
Australia's National Farmers' Federation (NFF) supports a scheme to bring in temporary workers from the Pacific, saying it would fill a big seasonal jobs gap which has caused production losses and curbed growth in the fruit-growing sector.
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