The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Sydney hosts a seminar on the Australian Working Holiday Program on February 28, 2018 at NSW Parliament House.
The seminar is one of the first opportunities specially focusing on the Australian Working Holiday Program and takes an academic approach to it.
The Hon. Scott Farlow, MLC and some representatives from other consulate generals in Sydney shows their interests on the Working Holiday Program by attending the seminar.
Korea is currently the third largest participant country in the Australian Working Holiday Program and annually 20,000 young Koreans take a part of it.
“Although the Consulate General has been running various programs to protect and support the Working Holiday Program participants there have been difficulties to figure out how the young Working Holiday makers live in Australia, what are their goals and what are their issues in the labor markets so we asked Dr Yong Moon Jung and Dr Joaanna Howe to research on them.” Yoon, Sangsoo the Consul-General of the Republic of Korea in Sydney says.
During the seminar, Dr. Yong Moon Jung, Research fellow from the Centre for Business and Social Innovation at the University of Technology Sydney presents the outcome of his research 'Learning Australia the hard way: how are Korean Working Holiday Program faring?". The research surveyed 307 Korean backpackers in Australia found out that most of Korean backpackers came to Australia mainly to improve their English proficiency and experience Australian society and culture. 80% of participants answered that they are currently in paid work and average hourly rate was $20.8
Seminar on Australian Working Holiday Program Source: SBS Korean Program
Dr Joanna Howe, Associate Professor in Law at the University of Adelaide provides findings on her research 'A Critique of the Australian Working Holiday Program: Options for Reform" She points out that Working Holiday makers are vulnerable as a result of a number of factors including being a temporary migrant workers, working in labour cost sensitive industries such as horticulture, accommodation and hospitality and consequence of breaching work visa condition. Dr Howe proposes a few reform options for the Working Holiday Program.
Han Eol Hur is a vice president of KOWHY, a Korean youth community advocating Working Holiday Program participants and overseas students in Australia and was invited to the seminar. Ms Hur says although it is encouraging to have a seminar on the Working Holiday Program, the fact that there was no Working holiday participants in the seminar is a bit disappointing.
"If the real participants are able to listen to the presentation on the research outcome, I believe that they would feel like that they have more support not and it would give them more confidence to complete the Working Holiday Program" Ms Hur says.
A full interview is available on podcast above.
