Rochelle-lee Bailey

Rochelle-lee Bailey is a Research Fellow at the Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University (ANU), specializing in Pacific labour migration with eighteen years of ethnographic fieldwork on New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme and Australia’s Seasonal Worker Program. Her research examines socioeconomic impacts on sending communities, host regions, and disaster recovery through remittances.

Her educational qualifications include:

• BA and BA Hons (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)
• MA (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)
• PhD (University of Otago, New Zealand)

Dr. Bailey’s research spans labour mobility, Melanesian anthropology/politics, economic anthropology, remittance circulation, and Pacific governance. She emphasizes how seasonal work drives social change in Vanuatu and broader Pacific contexts, with particular attention to gender dynamics and community development outcomes from labour schemes.

Recent publications (2022-2023) reveal a critical focus on pandemic disruptions to Pacific labour mobility, analyzing border closures, worker wellbeing crises, and remittance-driven disaster recovery. These works demonstrate methodological consistency in ethnographic approaches while shifting toward urgent policy responses in crisis contexts.

Scientific awards are not documented in the provided materials.

Dr. Bailey co-convenes undergraduate courses on Pacific mobilities with Roannie Ng Shiu and collaborates on research projects including the 2016 Labour Mobility Assistance Program. She is affiliated with ANU’s Migration Hub and actively supervises graduate research, though specific advisees are unlisted.