Praneeta Prakash 
[File Photo]
Australia is strengthening protections for Pacific workers in the PALM scheme, focusing on fair pay, secure conditions, and safeguards in lower-skilled and seasonal jobs where exploitation risks are higher.
At a talanoa roundtable in Suva, DFAT’s Jan Hutton outlined new mandatory standards to ensure ethical recruitment, decent housing, and reliable income.
These measures aim to uphold worker dignity while supporting labour mobility as a development tool for Pacific nations.
Hutton says to ensure workers have financial stability, PALM employers are now required to provide a minimum of 120 paid work hours every four weeks.
“So every PALM worker needs to be able to take home $200. And if a PALM worker does receive less than 20 hours of work a week, so there’s 120 over four weeks, but in some of the agricultural areas, for example, there might be seasonal factors. But if they receive less than 20 hours a week, then their employer is required to cover the cost of their accommodation and transport and things like that.”
She says a range of welfare initiatives have also been introduced to further protect vulnerable workers.
With $440 million invested into the PALM scheme, the Australian Government has made clear its intention to not only grow the program but also ensure its sustainability and fairness.
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