Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor does not understand regional Australia, doesn't want to and doesn't seek to. Labor's changes to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme are unworkable. The point about this is that it's labour with a U in that particular wording. Labor, this government, this mob, dropped the U out of 'Labour' in 1912, and ever since then they have not supported workers. They once did; they don't now.

Indeed, when it comes to the PALM Scheme, farmers and small businesses are telling me that they are considering deserting, walking away from the PALM Scheme, which the coalition government introduced and established to reduce labour shortages in regional Australia, particularly in horticulture, and particularly in agriculture. These changes were made without adequate or any consultation with stakeholders. I say shame on the Labor—without a U—government for doing that.

These changes will be detrimental, particularly to agriculture, and particularly to horticulture. Recent figures show there are almost 40,000 PALM Scheme workers in Australia, many of whom are supporting regional businesses. They're the ones who are taking the risks. They're the ones who are at the mercy of the weather. They're the ones who this Labor government should be supporting more. But they're not. I call on Labor to have a look at those changes. I call on Labor to reconsider what they're doing.