Lead Reviewer & Support Reviewer consultants

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Lead Reviewer consultant & Support Reviewer consultant | Alinea International

Project Name: Pacific Labour Mobility Support Program

Job Type: Consultant

Location of Position: Australia, Pacific, and/or Timor Leste

Reporting to: Daniel Kark

Remuneration: In line with market rates

Indicative LOE/Time Frame:

• Lead Reviewer: 28 days between 5 January 2026 and 15 June 2026
• Support Reviewer: 11 days between 5 January 2026 and 15 June 2026

Citizenship: N/A

Language Requirements: Excellent written English

Application Deadline: Reviewing and interviewing applicants on a rolling basis

Application Instructions:

1. Initially we only require a 2 page CV.
2. Click the Apply link to upload your CV (Curriculum Vitae).
3. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further discussion.
4. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. No phone calls please.

Alinea is an international development consultancy providing technical and management expertise that helps people improve their lives. We work with governments, investors, companies, and communities to create lasting change. Almost 40 years, Alinea has successfully delivered more than 1000 projects worldwide. alineainternational.com

At Alinea International we value diversity, equity, inclusivity, accessibility and belonging in everything we do. We are an equal opportunity employer opposed to all forms of discrimination. We actively seek and encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds recognizing that an inclusive workforce enriches our organization and achieves smarter, more innovative results.

Alinea is committed to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Due to the nature of our work, all candidates will be subject to due diligence checks and extensive background checks where appropriate.

Introduction

There is increasing interest from Pacific countries and Timor Leste in seeing improved superannuation flows from temporary migrant workers into the region. This includes interest in supporting the direct flow of Australian-accrued superannuation earned by workers in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme (PALM) into the Pacific and Timor Leste.1 This interest will continue to grow as more workers participate in PALM’s long-term employment stream and accrue superannuation balances.

The current landscape of Pacific retirement funds and Australian superannuation regulatory requirements requires investigation to better understand and discuss the options available to support the flow of superannuation funds. The impact of options on the integrity of the Australian superannuation and taxation systems, regional objectives and costs to governments will also require investigation. Some countries have raised options such as the establishment of Pacific National Provident Funds (NPFs) in Australia, or establishment of portability arrangements that enable the transfer of funds from Australian superannuation accounts to accounts in the Pacific.

A study is proposed to enhance mutual understanding between Australia and the Pacific on the existing retirement funds in the region and on Australia’s regulatory requirements for superannuation. It will provide an evidence base to inform future discussions on options for enhanced superannuation flows to the region, including options for Pacific funds to establish a presence in Australia and further investigation into portability arrangements.

As the Pacific diaspora grows in Australia and integration with Australia deepens, there is value in considering options that will support increased flows of superannuation to the Pacific in the longer term.

Background

Current rates of access to superannuation balances by returning PALM scheme workers are low. Surveys of returned workers show that:

• 48% of returned workers report they have not accessed their superannuation.
• 25% say that it has been paid into their Australian bank accounts.
• 13% report it has been paid into their bank accounts at home.
• 2% have had it paid into their home country’s providential fund.

A study by the DFAT-funded Pacific Labour Mobility Support Program (PLMSP) in 20242 and a survey of partner governments in 20253 reported several reasons for these low rates of access, including insufficient understanding of the Australian superannuation system among partner government staff, and low levels of awareness among workers. Among the challenges faced by workers is also the complex, multistage process required for workers to receive the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP), which transfers superannuation funds from Australia to workers’ home countries.

To address these challenges, DFAT and PLMSP in 2025 started delivery of activities in Australia to support workers to understand and complete DASP applications, including individual advice for workers to complete the DASP process and clinics for groups of workers. Partner country labour sending units (LSUs) also implement a range of activities to raise awareness of superannuation and DASP requirements among workers before they leave for Australia and after they return home.

In addition to facilitating DASP, there is potential to facilitate cross-border access to superannuation through changes to policy settings to allow transfer of superannuation directly from Australia into Pacific and Timor Leste providential funds, or to allow regular voluntary contributions by workers into their home country funds. Establishing portability arrangements will require serious consideration of timeframes, costs and impacts to Australian superannuation and taxation systems. Were portability arrangements to be put in place, temporary Australian visa holders would be ineligible to claim immediate access to their superannuation funds in the form of the DASP, which is the preference of some temporary migrants and their families who want to access superannuation funds to fulfil their personal investment, savings or consumption goals.

Existing superannuation portability arrangements

The regulatory requirements to enable superannuation portability are considerable. Examples of how these requirements could be met include the current arrangement between New Zealand and Australia and that between New Zealand and the Cook Islands.

The arrangement with New Zealand – the Trans-Tasman Retirement Savings Portability scheme – recognises Australia and New Zealand’s close economic relationship and the similarities of the KiwiSaver scheme to Australia’s superannuation system. The arrangement took five years to operationalise, from bilateral negotiations through to legislative and regulation changes in both countries.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cook Islands is part of the Cook Islands-Australia ‘Oa Tumanava partnership and addresses a gap in the existing Trans-Tasman Retirement Savings Portability scheme that prevented Cook Islands citizens from sending Australian-earned superannuation to their home country, while also being unable to release accumulated superannuation through DASP. The MOU was signed in November 2024. The Cook Islands portability arrangements are yet to be operationalised, and legislation is yet to be put in place.

Study Objectives

The study will:

• Establish baseline data and support a common understanding of retirement funds in the Pacific region and Timor Leste.
• Establish baseline data and support a common understanding of Australian superannuation regulatory requirements.
• Support further discussion on possible options for improved superannuation flows from Australia to the Pacific, including discussion of portability arrangements:
• Identify ways to best support superannuation flows into the region – both to individuals and to national retirement funds, including through administrative arrangements. This may include the feasibility of any regional approaches – noting current arrangements are strictly bilateral.
• Identify what additional support Pacific retirement funds would need to meet Australian standards to operate in Australia (where there is interest).
• An estimate of the costs that would be borne by the Australian Government to establish the options explored by the study.