In March 2017, the Oceania research team led by Deb Brennan and Sara Charlesworth held a workshop in Wellington, New Zealand. The workshop was conjunction with the Centre for Labour, Employment and Work, Victoria University, Wellington.
The aim of the workshop was to explore how new funding models in aged care and early childhood education are creating demand for new types of care labour, such as in-home carers for older people and nannies, and how these in turn interact with changing patterns of migration to Australia and New Zealand.
Although Australia and New Zealand are both major migration countries, there has been little research on the regulatory processes surrounding care migration, the experiences of migrant workers in aged care and child care or the policy issues raised by care migration.
Participants at the workshop included representatives from childcare and aged care peak organizations, provider groups and trade unions, as well as PhD students, early career researchers, academics and government representatives.
The workshop generated considerable interest in these topics and strengthened the basis for collaboration between Australia and New Zealand in the area of markets, migration and care.