Labour mobility is highly valued by Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste and is  central to the Australia’s engagement in the region. In line with the International Development Policy, Pacific labour mobility is a long-term commitment based on respect, listening, and learning from each other.

Labour mobility delivers jobs for Pacific and Timor-Leste workers, enabling them to develop skills, earn income and support their families back home. It also helps create strong links between people, businesses, and communities, fostering deeper connections between Australia, the Pacific and Timor-Leste. Labour sending households benefit in many ways, including higher incomes, greater access to education for children and progress towards gender equality. Workers are empowered to establish businesses in their home country, creating jobs and economic growth in their local communities.

Pacific and Timor-Leste workers help to fill labour gaps in regional and rural Australia, and agriculture nationally. This offers Australian employers access to reliable, productive workers who also contribute to the cultural and economic vibrancy of communities across Australia.

The wellbeing of Pacific and Timor-Leste workers is of the highest priority for the Australian Government and Pacific and Timor-Leste governments. All Pacific and Timor-Leste workers participating in the PALM scheme have the same workplace rights and protections as Australian workers, and additional measures are in place to support their wellbeing while they live and work in Australia.

Countries currently participating in Pacific labour mobility are Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme

The PALM scheme is an important temporary migration program to address unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled labour shortages across rural and regional Australia, and nationally for agriculture and select agriculture-related food product manufacturing sectors. Under the scheme, Australian businesses can hire workers from Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available. Once approved to participate in the PALM scheme, employers can recruit workers to fill positions for seasonal placements (short-term) of up to nine months or longer-term placements of between one and four years (long-term).

The PALM scheme is managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)  and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).

Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste make a sovereign choice about their participation in the PALM scheme, and the Australian Government works with each country to ensure they can participate on their own terms. Skills training is embedded into the PALM scheme to make sure it delivers a skills dividend for Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste where workers can come to Australia, gain new work experience and often new skills, and take these home to their communities.

For more information about the PALM scheme please visit the PALM scheme website.

Expanding and improving the PALM scheme – recent reforms

The Australian Government is committed to further expanding and improving and the PALM scheme and supporting Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste to participate in a way that delivers for each country’s unique labour mobility ambitions. The Government has committed nearly $440 million across successive budgets to deliver on this promise.

At the 2023-24 Budget, the Government committed to strengthening the PALM scheme so that it continues to deliver for employers, and workers and their families and communities, including by:

• strengthening the Government’s oversight of the PALM scheme to enhance conditions and better protect and support workers to improve their experience in Australia
• responsibly growing the PALM scheme and better supporting employers and participating countries by
  • providing additional resources to DEWR to increase the Government’s PALM scheme regional footprint to better support PALM scheme employers across Australia, including small growers
  • increasing resources for participating countries to mobilise more workers to ensure countries with aspirations to grow their participation in the scheme
• supporting more than 1,000 PALM scheme workers to attain formal qualifications over four years
• increasing support to make it easier for PALM scheme workers to access their superannuation savings when they return home
• providing access to Medicare for around 200 families participating in the PALM scheme family accompaniment pilot.

For further information on these reforms, please use the links below.

Related documents

• PALM scheme reforms Budget Announcement – General Factsheet
• PALM scheme reforms – Frequently Asked Questions

A consultative approach to Pacific labour mobility

The Australian Government has conducted a review into the governance and consultative mechanisms for the PALM scheme.

The review consulted across key stakeholder groups and a new consultation model to simplify and streamline existing arrangements will be announced shortly.

The Australian Government remains committed to listening to stakeholders to ensure the PALM scheme continues to deliver for employers, workers and their families and communities in the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

Contact PALMscheme@dfat.gov.au if you have any enquiries.