Fijians will now be able to work for longer periods in Australia.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between Fiji’s High Commissioner to Australia Luke Daunivalu and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne last week.

The MOU will support Fijians participating in the Pacific Labour Scheme.

The scheme will now allow Fijians to work from one to three years, as opposed to nine months under the Seasonal Worker Programme.

The Scheme will boost opportunities for semi and low-skilled Fijians to seek employment in tourism, age-care and agricultural sectors among others.

It will also have a positive impact on Fiji’s remittance and contribute to overall economic growth.

Fiji joins Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu in the Scheme.