Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

The motion by the member for Riverina is well meaning but contains inaccuracies, and the member has really stuck his neck out by incorporating the words 'a breakdown in Pacific relations'. Pacific relations are at their highest point in 10 years due to the work done by this government to repair them. In the first 12 months of this government, ministers have visited every Pacific Islands Forum member. Across any portfolio, be it defence, aid, migration or climate action, Pacific relations have been improving for just over a year now. Contrary to the words of the previous member and the member for Riverina, over two-thirds of active PALM approved employers have already signed new deeds, with more new deeds arriving daily, and forecast demand for workers in July 2023 is above the 12-month average. The PALM scheme is not at risk.

It is not perfect, however, and so the Albanese government is moving to address worker exploitation and ensure that any employers or labour-hire companies who are consistently doing the wrong thing are taken out of the picture. We have all heard stories about overseas workers on temporary visas being made to live in awful conditions, being underpaid or otherwise being treated badly by a minority of undeserving employers or middlemen. It would be odd if the member for Riverina had not heard these stories.

In February last year, in a hearing into Pacific worker exploitation by the Select Committee on Job Security, coalition senator Canavan suggested that, in his view, the workers were being treated like indentured labourers. He suggested that affording Pacific workers more rights and portability would help push wages up, and that would be a good thing as it would protect wage levels for Australian workers too. I commend Senator Canavan for those comments.

The National Party had Scott Morrison on the ropes a couple of years ago and beat the short-lived agriculture visa out of him—a visa with even fewer protections for overseas workers. For some reason, a lot of our neighbouring countries were suspicious of it and refused to sign up. They thought it might lead to exploitation. We've dumped it, of course. It would be nice if the National Party's policies involved something for the average worker, rather than appearing to be designed to make exploitation easier for the few bad apples amongst the landed gentry.

The government's investments in the PALM scheme announced in the May budget include more skills, development and community liaison offices for Pacific workers and strengthened worker protections and compliance operations. It's a partnership designed to benefit partner countries and to treat individual workers with respect. The protections and safeguards announced by ministers Burke and Conroy on 5 June include minimum-hour requirements, pay parity with domestic workers and transparency around accommodation costs. They are designed to address the deficiencies in the sector. The purpose of the change is not to make life more difficult for employers. It is about making sure that the arrangements are fair and supportive for the workers, who have come a long way and dislocated their lives in order to provide for their families and communities at home. It is also to ensure that those farms and those businesses are viable and there's food on the table for all of us.

The government is making the work more attractive, assisting families to come to Australia and making access to superannuation and Medicare easier. Above all, we are ensuring that an Australian migrant worker scheme embodies Australian values. The government recognises that there will be extreme circumstances outside of an employer's control that may, from time to time, make it difficult for them to continue to offer 30 hours per week. But the PALM scheme approved employer guidelines allow the department to consider exceptional circumstances that could prevent employers in impacted regions from meeting the minimum-hours requirement. Importantly, the new guidelines allow for employers to work with other employers to develop short-term portability arrangements to provide those workers with the minimum hours and thus meet workforce needs.

Labor is growing the PALM program, with worker numbers up by more than 70 per cent since we came to office. But, as I say, the PALM program has to work for all parties. As Minister Burke quite rightly stated in June, exploitation is always unacceptable. We've also created a pathway to permanent settlement for Pacific island workers through the aptly named Pacific engagement visa. If the member is so concerned about Pacific island relations, where are he and the coalition on that? Pacific island relations are about more than just knowing how to carefully sip your sakau. They require hard work, respect and the understanding that is it a partnership. Employers I've spoken to want to work together with PALM workers and the government to ensure that workers are treated fairly, accommodated well and have a good experience.

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