Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is a guest worker program that allows Australian businesses to hire temporary workers from nine Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste. The scheme allows participating workers to work in seasonal agricultural jobs for up to 9 months, or in longer-term jobs for between 1 and 4 years. The scheme was launched as the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme in 2008 and initially only permitted employment in Australia's agricultural sector, but has since expanded to other industries, including meat processing and aged care.

Over 30,000 workers were employed through the scheme in August 2024, with about 90% employed in agriculture and meat processing. The Australian government has described the PALM scheme as a "triple win" that addresses labour shortages in Australia, provides well-paid employment to participating workers, and provides skill development and remittances to developing Pacific island nations. However, the scheme has faced criticism for alleged worker exploitation and for its rate of deaths and injuries. In a 2024 report, the New South Wales Anti-Slavery Commissioner highlighted poor working conditions and risks of modern slavery facilitated by the scheme. The scheme has also been criticised for facilitating brain drain from Pacific island nations and for providing limited benefits to Pacific workers.