Who is primarily responsible for the management and operation of the PALM scheme?
- The PALM scheme is managed by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
- DEWR and DFAT will continue to work closely with other responsible government agencies including the Department of Home Affairs, Australian Border Force and the Fair Work Ombudsman to ensure the integrity of the scheme is maintained.
What is the difference between the short-term and long-term streams under the PALM scheme?
- Under the PALM scheme there are 2 cohorts of workers:
- short-term workers who can access a multi-year visa to return to Australia for placements of up to 9 months each year for 4 years
- long-term workers who can work in placements of between one and 4 years.
Does the PALM scheme replace the Seasonal Worker Programme and the Pacific Labour Scheme?
- The Seasonal Worker Programme and the Pacific Labour Scheme were consolidated into the single PALM scheme in July 2023, with a single program deed and guidelines.
What is the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme?
- The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from 9 Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available.
- PALM scheme employers can hire workers to fill unskilled, low-skilled or semi-skilled positions for short-term placements of up to 9 months or long-term placements of between one and 4 years.
- Short-term and long-term workers can be employed in all regional and rural postcodes, except for agriculture and agriculture-related food product manufacturing, where there
Detailed industry assessment: Aquaculture
Research
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