Does the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme facilitate climate adaptation in Kiribati while enabling mobility with dignity, or does it reinforce dependency and displacement?
In Kiribati, where the physical limits of in-situ climate adaptation are acutely felt, labour mobility initiatives—such as the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme—are increasingly gaining traction as vital adaptation strategies in the absence of international protection frameworks for climate-induced displacement. Yet, despite a growing number of I-Kiribati participating in regional labour programs, Kiribati remains one of the least represented countries in the PALM scheme, accounting for only around 5% of total participation.
This limited engagement raises important questions about accessibility, equity, and the long-term viability of labour mobility, not only as an economic opportunity and adaptation measure, but importantly, as a pathway that must be critically assessed for whether it genuinely supports mobility with dignity or risks reinforcing patterns of dependency and displacement.
This seminar is Akka’s final presentation of her doctoral candidature.
About the speaker
Akka Rimon is an I-Kiribati doctoral student at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University, and one of four inaugural recipients of the Australia-Pacific Security College PhD Scholarship. Her research, Te Waa of Future Mobilities, explores the potential of labour mobility as a form of climate adaptation and its role in shaping the drivers of human mobility in Kiribati. Before beginning her PhD, she worked in the Government of Kiribati and with the World Bank.
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This seminar presentation is a dual-delivery event. Registration is not required for in-person attendance as neither the ANU nor ACT Health conduct contact tracing.
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Image credit: Aerial photograph of South Tarawa, Kiribati, by Rimon Rimon, supplied by speaker, all rights reserved.