The Australian government announced on Sunday that it would allow by July 2012 the entry to the country of season workers from the Pacific Islands to be employed in fruit and vegetable farms.

The program would be open to workers from East Timor, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The $27.1-million programme would also be open to the horticulture sector.

However, to take part in the programme, Australian farm owners would have to prove that they cannot find local workers.

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten, who pushed the seasonal worker programme, said it would help in the economic development of the participating nations and assist Australian employers cope with manpower shortage in the country's agriculture sector.

However, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Ged Kearney said that while ACTU members support the economic development of Pacific Island nations by granting their workers the opportunity to earn decent salaries, she emphasised that employment of Australians must have the higher priority.

Ms Kearney said that farm owners must produce evidence of ongoing labour market testing to ensure Australian workers would not be displaced by foreign hands.

Also expected to benefit from the programme is Australia's tourism sector which has 36,000 vacancies which could not be filled as workers prefer to be employed in the booming mining industry.

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