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In early 2024, the Australian government is expected to launch its new Pacific Engagement Visa category.
Modelled after New Zealand's Samoan Quota and Pacific Access Category, the visa will be open to all Pacific Islands Forum countries and its recipients decided on by a lottery or ballot.
The lottery element caused some domestic concerns and the government ended up needing cross bencher support to get the legislation through the Senate on the 18th of October.
"There's a growing realisation that migration is really important for the Pacific" - Stephen Howes
In a statement marking the bill's passage, the Australian government said the visa would enable up to 3,000 nationals of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste to migrate to Australia as permanent residents each year.
"It will create new opportunities for the people of the Pacific and Timor-Leste to live, work and be educated in Australia - strengthening diaspora communities, and encouraging greater cultural, business and educational exchange," the statement said.
Australian National University's Development Policy Centre director Professor Stephen Howes said there were several ways to look at the new pathway.
"One way is to see it as a sort of natural evolution. In 2007, we started the Seasonal Worker Program, again, like the New Zealand RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme). And that was expanded around 2018 into the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS)," he said.
"So, for the Seasonal Worker Program, workers come for, say up to nine months to do seasonal work on a farm, then they go home, and for the PLS, they can come for up to four years, perhaps to work on a farm, but most of them actually work in abattoirs. And this [Pacific Engagement Visa] is really the next step."
Howes said, on the other hand, the new visa is product of Australia's internal reflections.
"I think there's a growing realisation that migration is really important for the Pacific and perhaps that aid is not the answer.
"We need to look at alternative instruments. There had been calls from the Pacific to introduce the Seasonal Worker Program. More recently, there have been calls for visa free access easier travel. This is definitely a step in that direction."
For Canberra, getting the core legislation for the new visa over the line ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in the Cook Islands next week is opportune as one of the talking points throughout the year for several island leaders has been visa free access to Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking in September to over 200 members of the business community at the New Zealand-Fiji annual business conference in Auckland, Fiji's deputy prime minister and finance minister Biman Prasad said visa free travel needed to happen to realise the full benefits of the trade relationship between the two countries.
"I know the NZ workforce is losing people and Fiji is losing a lot of people as well," Prasad said.
"A fully visa free regime between our countries will be the start of a new chapter."
Speaking at a Lowy Institute event in March, Samoaan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa called on New Zealand and Australia to live up to their "Pacific family" rhetoric.
"We've been talking about that in the Pacific for a long time and part of that common market is free access of people around the region," Fiame said.
Migration offer
Professor Howes said with the increased geopolitical competition with China in the region Canberra will be glad to have the new Pacific Engagement Visa tucked in its back pocket flying into Rarotonga.
He said migration is an area where Canberra could get one up on China.
"It would be a mistake to ignore the influence of China. We know there's a lot more strategic competition and I think Australia is keen to bolster its ties to the Pacific. And migration is something Australia can offer that China can't really,
"Pacific Islanders aren't really going to migrate to China, but they definitely will migrate to Australia, if they have the opportunity."
Speaking shortly after the passing of the legislation for the new visa, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it would strengthen people-to-people links, and encourage greater cultural, business and educational exchange.
"We have heard the calls from Pacific leaders for deeper connections and easier movement around the region," Wong siad.
"The Pacific Engagement Visa will make a uniquely Australian contribution to building a stronger and more united Pacific family."
The new visa is expected to be introduced early in 2024 with more details about eligibility and the weighting of country quotas yet to be determined.