Workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme have the same rights and protections as Australian workers, says Jan Hutton, First Assistant Secretary of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“In fact, they actually have a little bit more because we have these additional built-in wraparounds under our PALM scheme,” she said.
“They have the same rate of pay for the same work – there’s no difference between an Australian worker and a PALM worker when it comes to work.
“We know, though, that people coming from overseas, particularly in lower skilled jobs, do have more vulnerability so we have additional wraparounds to try and better protect them and look after their welfare.”
Ms Hutton said the Australian Government maintained a policy that required employers to give PALM workers 120 hours of work over every four-week period.
“That’s really important because it gives workers access to a reliable and consistent income. They know what they’re going to earn, they can better budget, they know what they can afford to send home.
“There’s a minimum $A200 ($F290) take-home pay requirement so every PALM worker needs to be able to take home $A200.
“In some of the agricultural areas, for example, there might be seasonal factors but if they receive less than 20 hours a week, their employers are required to cover the cost of their accommodation and transport.”
She said Australia was investing in the welfare and wellbeing of PALM workers and wanted them to have a successful experience and ensure they were treated well.
