Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Youth and Sports, Parveen Kumar Bala, opened a two-day workshop on Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Reform Stakeholder Consultations organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Australian High Commission yesterday (18/02/22).
This regional consultation is designed to bring together relevant officials from labour ministries in the Pacific and Timor-Leste and partner organisations to discuss the planned PALM Scheme reforms and to understand their perspective on Pacific Labour Mobility.
The Employment Minister on behalf of the Fijian Government warmly welcomed all participants to our shores and also acknowledged the continued support from the Australian Government through DFAT for such a golden opportunity for all Pacific Islanders and Timor-Leste to be here in Fiji to deliberate on the PALM reform.
“With DFAT leading the discussions between Pacific and Timor-Leste partner governments to discuss the PALM scheme reforms as a group and as a matter of regional importance, I am optimistic that the views shared in these 2 days consultation will form part of the broader policy decisions or outcomes.”
“While acknowledging that a number of participating countries have amended and signed their revised MOU under the PALM Scheme, Fiji eagerly awaits the new Implementation Arrangements before we finalise our revised MOU.”
In sharing Fiji’s current experience as a Labour Sending Unit (LSU) under the PALM program and considering the growing demands together with the high number of documents or paper-work required, Minister Bala called on having a sufficient timeline to process recruitment and selection of workers upon receiving the approval of recruitment plans to workers’ departure from home country.
“This PALM reform stakeholder consultation meeting is the first here in Fiji and hopes it will be the first of many such meetings between Pacific Islands and Timor-Leste partner governments as we must work more closely together, share information, and best practices and raise our voices collectively, to ensure that all our workers together with their families are offered the best that Australia can offer,” added Minister Bala.
“The PALM Scheme is a valuable and mutually beneficial program for both Australia and Fiji and an important part of our Vuvale Partnership.”
The Australian Government is committed to expanding and improving the PALM scheme and has announced a range of reforms to strengthen our Pacific partnership and build a stronger Pacific family.
The new policy reforms include allowing longer-term PALM workers to bring their immediate family to Australia, subject to Australian employer sponsorship; improving workplace standards for PALM workers; and relocating the Australian Agriculture Visa program within the PALM scheme.