FEDERAL Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell says a policy backflip on a critical agricultural Labor scheme will be welcomed by Goulburn Valley fruit and vegetable growers.
“The Albanese government changed the conditions of the successful Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme to force employers to pay workers a minimum of 30 hours a week, every week, completely disregarding the seasonal nature of the work,” Mr Birrell said.
Mr Birrell said PALM workers from nine Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste are a vital part of Australia’s ag industry and economy and the program is hugely popular because of the money that ends up back in their own domestic market, and the skills learnt while here.
Following the changes there was a 10.2 per cent drop in short-term workers and 10.4 per cent for all PALM workers in agriculture.
Under pressure from the Nationals and bodies representing fruit and vegetable growers the Albanese government has announced a softening of the rules.
“Farmers will no longer have to guarantee PALM workers a minimum of 30 hours employment per week and can instead offer 120 hours of work averaged over 4 weeks,” Mr Birrell said.
“The original changes went too far, and had the Albanese Government listened to the industry then, they wouldn’t have been implemented.”
Mr Birrell said the Albanese now needs to listen to the industries demands for a specific ag visa. “PALM is a valuable and mutually beneficial scheme, but it can’t deliver more than 100,000 additional workers needed in agriculture,” Mr Birrell said.
