K&S Contracting specialises in forestry and weed control. The business signed up to the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) in 2018 after struggling to find reliable local labour for forestry work. It currently employs 5 Tuvaluans who are now active members of the local community.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020, people were asked to stay home to stop the spread of the virus. Isoa Tuinasaoalau, from Fiji, sends a message back home to friends and family and shares how the PALM scheme workers found a way to avoid missing church services. Isoa says the workers held their own services at home in Childers, Queensland, getting dressed up in their best clothes, singing songs and sharing Bible verses.

Cowra Meat Processing employs around 200 workers but has struggled to find staff. In 2018, general manager, Peter Browne, visited Samoa to interview workers through the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS). In early 2019, 7 men from Samoa started work at the processing facility.

Five women from a remote village in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) have been recruited to pick mandarins at Ironbark Citrus in outback Queensland. Ironbark Citrus joined the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) in 2012 and also recruits workers from Timor-Leste and Tonga. Working in Australia has been life-changing for the workers.

The Nutrano Produce Group struggled to find workers for its citrus farm in Victoria's Sunraysia district until it joined the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) in 2017. It now employs a large group of workers from Solomon Islands, some of whom have used their savings to build new houses and a church for their village.

Skybury Tropical Plantation in Mareeba in Queensland joined the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) in 2018, recruiting workers from Papua New Guinea (PNG). The managers were so impressed with the workers that they joined the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS), so they could employ them for longer.  

GraceKate Farms joined the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) in 2012 and has been employing workers from the Pacific islands ever since. The business has now joined the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS), which will allow it to access workers for up to 3 years. Having a returning workforce allows the owners to grow their farm and plan for the future.

Hillwood Berries joined the PALM scheme (formerly the Seasonal Worker Programme) in 2013. The returning workforce has helped to increase the farm’s productivity, and the business now employs workers from 2 different countries.

Bolton Clarke joined the PALM scheme (formerly the Pacific Labour Scheme) in 2017 and now employs workers from Kiribati and Samoa. Like many aged-care providers in regional Australia, it has struggled to fill personal carer and support roles with local workers but found a source of caring a reliable labour through the PALM scheme for its residences at Longreach and Bowen in Queensland.

Angelica Fisheries on the New South Wales south coast joined the PALM scheme (formerly the Pacific Labour Scheme) in 2018. The business had struggled to find local labour and now employs 3 workers from Tuvalu. One of the owners, Steve Basile, says being able to access workers from Pacific island countries saved the business.