The first Papua New Guinean labour mobility workers to travel to Australia since March 2021 have today arrived in New South Wales. The workers were selected to undertake employment in Australia as part of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
The arrival of the three workers, who graduated from the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) in Port Moresby, is a significant milestone following the disruption to international travel caused by COVID-19. These participants are the first of many PNG workers who will travel to Australia in 2022 under the PALM scheme to provide much-needed support to businesses in rural and regional Australia.
The workers were recruited by Total Waste Management and will be deployed to several businesses in the transport and engineering sectors in regional New South Wales. The workers are fully vaccinated and received negative rapid antigen tests before their arrival into Australia, in line with Australian Government requirements.
Australian High Commissioner to PNG, HE Jon Philp said, “The resumption of workers travelling from PNG delivers on Prime Minister Morrison’s commitment to double the number of PALM workers in Australia by March 2022, as well as Prime Minister Marape’s vision to boost PNG’s overseas workforce to 8,000 by 2025.
“Workers from across our Pacific Island family are providing a lifeline for businesses in regional Australia that have struggled to find local labour. Participants also gain valuable skills and experience while abroad and earn income to send back to their communities. We look forward to these workers opening the door for many other Papua New Guinean women and men to work in Australia.”
The PALM scheme is the Australian Government's new, integrated approach to the Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme. The streamlined scheme provides more flexibility for workers to move between employers in response to workforce demands, improving productivity and workers’ earning capacity. Worker welfare is at the centre of the PALM scheme, through improved worker support arrangements and reporting requirements.
For more information, visit palmscheme.gov.au
High Commissioner, HE Jon Philp with the workers prior to their departure..
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100