Concerns over Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme
It’s submission season!
Well, its submission season all year long, but it seems we’ve got a few doozies on the go right now.
First up this week though was the invitation by the Federal Government to make comment on its reform agenda “Building a stronger Pacific and Timor-Leste family”.
Our response included (but was not limited to) drawing their attention to:
1. SEASONALITY
Seasonality of produce and its short harvest periods can act as a prohibitor for growers to take up the PALM scheme due to its minimum time frame of guaranteed work. Seasonality is not often given the credit it is due, however it should remain front-of-mind as many decisions in horticulture are founded on this.
2. COMPETITION BETWEEN SECTORS
Traditionally horticulture has relied on the 88-day visa conditions to attract the numbers of necessary workers. With this removed and an expansion of PALM workers into other sectors there is an expectation that this will have a negative impact on the number of workers available to horticulture.
3. MULTIPLE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT INVOLVEMENT
While we applaud any acknowledgement of the complexity of issues by sharing across departments, we have noted that there seems to be a lack of cohesiveness in conversations between the three government departments responsible for PALM.
4. PRECLUSION OF SMALL TO MEDIUM GROWERS
The amount of responsibility, red tape, upfront costs, seasonality of work and lack of accommodation will mean it won’t appeal to many small to medium enterprises.
5. TRAVEL COSTS
With the government reneging on its election commitment, Growcom now aligns with the Approved Employers position on the government’s underwriting plan.
6. FAMILY ACCOMPANIMENT
Although there is widespread empathy, there needs to be clarity on the arrangements, obligations and responsibility for health care, education, housing, and welfare for the entire family.
7. POST CODE EXPANSION
With horticulture already competing with other sectors for workers, the expansion of the post code area would further dilute available staff. It is further questioned if the postcode system is the best indicator of need for the scheme.
8. ACCOMMODATION
Sourcing labour was the initial concern among growers, however now sourcing accommodation is the greatest barrier to a reliable workforce.
9. ONLY PART OF THE PUZZLE
The PALM scheme isn’t filling the labour gap effectively or within an essential timeframe. With each season of produce unable to be staffed adequately, more and more growers are at financial risk.
10. PORTABILITY AND MOBILITY
Although the notion of both portability and mobility is supported to allow more employers to have access to labour when and where they need it, there are questions around who ultimately bears the costs and responsibility of these workers.
