We continue to work on streamlining of the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) and the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) into the consolidated Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
- Date opened
-
- Date closed
-
PALM has a single application process and mutual recognition for Approved Employers. In April 2022, the two programs were further aligned with the introduction of the PALM visa—the Subclass 403 Temporary Work (International Relations) visa – Pacific Australia Labour Mobility stream.
At present, the scheme continues to operate under two separate Deeds of Agreement and Guidelines.
The Government previously undertook extensive consultations with PALM stakeholders between November 2021 and March 2022 and incorporated feedback into the draft PALM scheme Deed of Agreement and Guidelines.
The Government introduced further reforms to the PALM scheme as part of the October 2022 Budget. The draft PALM scheme Deed of Agreement and Guidelines need to be updated to capture these reforms and to further strengthen worker protections under the scheme and eliminate worker exploitation.
DEWR resumed consultations on PALM scheme settings and how they are reflected in the PALM Deed of Agreement and Guidelines. As a key stakeholder of the scheme your feedback is vital.
Consultations are being delivered in 2 phases:
Phase 1 (now closed): February – March 2023: to seek views from PALM stakeholders on the options to introduce the operational parameters for some PALM measures from the October 2022 Budget, such as travel underwriting, and to strengthen PALM workers protections. Thank you to everyone who attended one of the recent stakeholder consultation sessions and for providing valuable feedback.
Phase 2: April 2023: to update draft PALM scheme Deed of Agreement and Guidelines with preferred parameters (after considering the feedback received from the first phase of consultations) and release the updated draft of the Deed of Agreement and Guidelines for further discussions in early April.
A PowerPoint presentation for the phase 1 consultations is available and outlines the options for discussion and feedback, as well as a table with PALM parameters already consulted on in 2021–22. Attachment 1 referred to in the presentation outlines current SWP and PLS requirements as well as PALM Deed of Agreement and Guidelines settings from previous consultations.
Frequently Asked Questions are available for your information. They are based on the questions received during virtual and face-to-face consultation sessions.
Please contact PALMconsultations@dewr.gov.au if you have any questions.