Are Pacific Workers in Australia Facing Unseen Dangers? Key Talks Aim to Improve Safety
Discussions are underway to enhance safety for Pacific island workers in Australia, addressing exploitation and road accidents in the labour scheme.
Pacific Islander Workers, Australia, Labour Scheme, Worker Safety, Exploitation, Murray Watt
Canberra: So, there’s a big conversation happening about the safety of Pacific island workers in Australia. You know, those folks who come here for jobs through the labour scheme? Well, it turns out there are some serious issues like road accidents and exploitation that need to be tackled.
Employment Minister Murray Watt is leading the charge. He recently gathered high commissioners from the Pacific nations to chat about how the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is working. While it’s been beneficial for both Australia and the workers, there’s definitely room for improvement.
These workers are mainly in agriculture, horticulture, and meat processing, but there are worries about their living conditions and safety. Senator Watt is looking into setting minimum accommodation standards and changing some rules that currently tie workers to their employers. This is a big deal because it could help reduce the risk of exploitation.
He mentioned that if workers feel stuck, they’re less likely to report any issues they face. That’s just not right! There’s also a minimum hour requirement, but they want to ensure workers have some guarantee about their hours.
The government is also considering a report from a UN special rapporteur that suggests allowing these workers to switch employers if they want. Some companies are worried about investing in training workers without knowing if they’ll stick around long-term.
Another concern raised was the increase in road accidents among PALM workers, including some tragic fatalities. Senator Watt has asked his team to look into this and find ways to better inform workers about Australian road rules and improve driver training.
Despite the challenges, there’s a lot of recognition for the positive impact of the PALM program. It’s a great source of income for many low-paid Pacific workers and helps them build new skills. Senator Watt noted that everyone at the meeting saw the value in the program for all involved.
He hinted that we might see some changes announced before the federal election, which is coming up soon. Fingers crossed for some good news!