Paper short abstract:

Settled communities of Pacific farmworkers are increasing in horticultural areas in Australia, and many second-generation Pacific youths experience farm work while growing up. This paper discusses their experiences in rural Victoria and the implications for their identities and future careers.

Paper long abstract:

Long before the implementation of the Seasonal Worker Programme that officially brought casual farmworkers from the Pacific to horticultural areas in Australia, Pacific people including Tongans, Samoans, Cook Islanders and Fijians had already created settled communities in these rural towns. Our fieldsite is Mildura and its surrounds, where many Pacific people have moved in search of opportunities to secure employment. Although seasonal work is temporal by nature and does not provide a stable income throughout the year, one can potentially earn more than $1,000 a week during a picking season in summer, which may lead some people to accept the precarious aspect of the farm work. Settled communities of Pacific people who work on farms are increasing and there are many second-generation Pacific youths who are growing up surrounded by vineyards. The future careers of these young people are of great concern for many first generation migrants, and there is a shared idea that casual farmwork is only for first generation migrants, Australian-born youths should ideally be working 'inside' - be it an office or warehouse - rather than under the sun 'on the block'. However, Pacific youth in Mildura find it difficult to obtain a job other than seasonal work. Drawing on fieldwork since 2014, this paper examines experiences of young Pacific Islanders who grow up in rural Australia, exploring how the rural environment and their experiences impact on their identity and aspirations.