Australia’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme supplies labour for several industries. This spans across sectors such as agriculture, meat processing, and aged care. Yet, the scheme has exposed disturbing problems related to the welfare of its employees. Even now, more than 30,000 PALM workers are toiling across Australia under situations—situations usually underrepresented—that a wildly unprepared system is built to exacerbate. One of the greatest challenges is the alarming increase in workplace pregnancies. Many of these people are pursuing terminations because they are worried about breaching their visa requirements.
Dr. Trudi Beck on the frontline of treating pregnant PALM workers. As she explains, for most of them, the choice to have or not have a child is not so simple. The majority of the cases are off the site, usually they’re en route or home from work, Pat Conroy’s emotive arguments on the plight of working holiday makers. He noted that the standards in many other regions raise the bar way above what they’re used to.
Ken Dachi is a community legal advocate for PALM workers. He pointed to evidence from across the country that there have been at least 11 children born in Australia to these workers. The age of these kids is from three months to just under four years old. Most of these children do not have the legal identification they need to integrate into society, leaving their futures uncertain. Dachi emphasized the gravity of this issue by asking, “How can it sit comfortably with us that we have newborn children who either do not have birth certificates or no other identifier?” He further expressed concern about the lack of verifiable identity for these children, stating, “There’s nothing, and they’re growing up here; they still don’t have any verifiable identity, so who are they? I find that to be totally unacceptable.”
Most PALM workers end up in precarious positions. They frequently request terminations to escape the possible consequences of giving birth with their existing visa arrangement. Among a slew of recommendations, Dr. Beck calls for more training for frontline workers to identify signs of modern slavery within the scheme. She stated, “If people are not trained and informed about modern slavery and their manifestations, you can easily miss it.”
Federal Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans supported these claims, stating that disengaged PALM workers are at an increased risk. “Ignoring the vulnerability of long-term disengaged people in our communities creates risks for both workers and employers and undermines the integrity and social licence of the program,” he remarked.
The safety concerns extend beyond pregnancy. Activist Juliana Nkrumah brought up an urgent concern. Whether women working under the PALM scheme or those who abscond – both have an alarming risk of sexual violence. “When they are with the employer, some of them are vulnerable to sexual violence,” she noted. “When they leave, they are more vulnerable because they don’t know where to go and anyone can exploit them.”
Public policy consultant Abul Rizvi condemned the fatality rate among PALM workers, describing it as “appalling.” He elaborated on the tragic human costs that these figures signify. Since 2012, media reports have shown that at least 104 PALM scheme workers and their predecessors have suffered tragic deaths. This incredibly ridiculous statistic paints a scary picture of current workplace conditions. Since 2019, the Fair Work Ombudsman has only pursued 288 investigations into PALM scheme employers. So far, they’ve broken records getting back $807,000 to nearly 2,000 workers.
Pat Conroy emphasized that “any workplace death is unacceptable and I would call for the relevant authority to throw the book at any employer found liable.” The reality is that most safety incidents happen offsite, which means it requires bold, full-scale oversight.
In recognition of these issues, the Albanese government has pledged $440 million to significantly increase and diversify the PALM scheme. This investment seeks to strengthen protections and support systems for workers during their time in Australia. The government maintains that “overwhelmingly, this scheme is working for the workers, it’s working for the Pacific and it’s working for Australia,” as stated by Rizvi.
Even with these promised protections, it’s still unclear just how foolproof the current measures actually are. Questions still remain about the future well-being of PALM workers and their families. As this ongoing dialogue continues, advocates stress the importance of addressing these hidden challenges faced by vulnerable individuals within Australia’s labor system.
