Daniel Yakapus is one of arecord number of Pacific workers in the country.(ABC Rural: Emile Pavlich)
Wages Daniel Yakapus earned picking fruit in Australia became essential when his family's livesin Vanuatuwere thrown into chaos by two cyclones earlier this year.
Mr Yakapus pickstable grapes in Victoria's north-west through the federal government-run Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, which was introduced in 2012to fill labour gaps in the agricultural industry.
He said he came to Australia for one simple reason.
Do a little bit of work, get some money, send it back to my country, help my family, he said.
They are slowly recovering, but the most income that they [have] to get their food or to build their house,they get from me.
Mr Yakapus isone of almost 40,000Pacific and Timore Leste PALM workers in regional Australia, who are employed on farms andother industriesincluding innursing homesandmeat works.
But there are significant changes on the horizon for the scheme, which MrYakapus hopes will help him send more money home and make his farm work stint more enjoyable.
Ni-Vanuatu'sMoses, Wilson and Daniel (left to right) all pick table grapes in the Sunraysia region in north-west Victoria.(ABC Rural: Emile Pavlich)
Reforms as worker scheme expands
Last week the federal government released details of itspreviously announced PALMscheme reforms,which are part of a plan to significantly expand the program.
When Labor was elected in May 2022 there were about 24,400 Pacific workers in the country,and the government's 12-month target of 35,000 workers was reached within seven months —up 62 per cent from when they took office.
Location of PALM workers at April 30, 2023.(Supplied: Federal Government)
With a record number of Pacific workers in the country, it is likely the next time you buy grapes, oranges or a steak from the supermarket, a worker on the scheme helped get the food to your plate.
A key component of thereforms is to ensure thatcasual employees, who under their visa conditions can only work for employers approved by the federal government, are paida minimum of 30 hours a week.
Previously employers were able to average out the 30-hour-a-week minimum payment over a long period, normally nine months.
Theminimum-hours change will come into effect fromJuly next year.
The farming sector, which takes about 70 per cent of the workers, as well as the federal opposition and Australian Fresh Produce Alliance have opposed the changes, arguingitwouldincrease the program's costs, and make it unworkable.
Unions have labelled their response as hysteria.
The PALM sector distribution at April 30, 2023compared to the previous month.(Supplied: Federal Government)
Another reform welcomed by workers aims for greater transparency around workers' deductions.
It will include aminimum net pay guarantee after taxand deductions of$200, plus changes to make sure workers understand the deductions which are usually for accommodation, transport and paying back flights.
Mr Yakapus said employer deductions wereconfusing, and helookedforward to a consistent income.
Sometimes we don't have enough work to do. Maybe we'll work for three days or four days,he said.
Once the payment comes in,thenthe boss gets all the money from the deductions.
He saidwhen that happenedhis take-home pay was significantly less, which affectedbothhim and his family at home.
Reducing worker exploitation
Uniting Church senior social justice advocate Mark Zirnsak said the PALMworkers, whooften came from low socio-economic backgrounds, were very reliant on their job and bonded to their Australian employers.
The workers are not eligible for Australian welfare support or payments, and can't find other work under their visa conditions.
Dr Zirnsak said he knew of a group of PALM workers who had to relyon food charity after going seven weeks without paid work.
MarkZirnsak says local community groups often scramble to find emergency accommodation for workers if their contract is terminated.(Supplied: Uniting Church in Australia)
Those situations leave workers in really desperate situations and their families back in the Pacific who were depending on them to send money home, he said.
Dr Zirnsak said thereforms would also bringAustralia into line with farm worker schemes in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Other changes he supportsincludegiving workers seven days' notice of termination. Currently, workers can find themselves out of work with no notice, whichmeans theymay lose theiraccommodation, which is often provided by the employer.
Dr Zirnsak saidsome changes would benefitemployers, such as the possibility to claim a travel cost reimbursement from the government, as well as a more streamlined approval process for worker accommodation.
Workers picking mangoes at night in Mataranka.(ABC Rural: Daniel Fitzgerald)
More flexibility needed
New South Wales-based Pacific welfare worker Valencia Packete has seen many contractsstipulatinga minimum of 30 hours of work averaged out over a nine-month period, but knows in reality that doesn't always happen.
I understand in the horticulture industry, sometimes, [that]seasons don't account for that 30 hours, she said.
I have spoken to many workers who are crying out for help.
Ms Packete saidone way to ensure workers weregetting enough moneycould be to allowmore flexibility for PALM participants to work fordifferent employers.
Currently under their visa conditions Pacificworkers are bonded to their employer and are unable to switch jobs if they don't get enough hoursor the work isunsuitable.
The workers canonly change employers with the approval of their employerand the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
In the absence of this, there have beencases of workers absconding and breaching their visa conditionsafter alleged pay and condition problems.
There has to be a way where the contractors canshift the workers to another farm, Ms Packete said.
Pacific Island Council of South Australia chair Tukini Tavuisaid Pacific workers on nine-month short-term visas were the most vulnerable to working hour variability.
Tukini Tavui says short-term seasonal workers are vulnerable to working hour variability.(ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)
While he acknowledged thatthe minimum hours change would be difficult and almost impossible for some of those small farmers he hoped they would not abandon the program.
He said key changes includedbetter portability for workers to move from one employer to another, improved flexibility to move from the short-term to the long-term visas scheme, and clarity around deductions and pay.
That's been one of the big contributors to some of the concerns and challenges with the program, he said.
Weather disrupts work hours
Tania Chapman, who managesfarming operations atNutrano, said the obligation for businesses like hers to pay workers 30 hours a week, irrespective of whether they work or not will put massive pressure on her business.
Tania Chapman says there's not enough support for approved employers in the PALM scheme program.(Supplied: Tania Chapman)
She said thecitrus farm innorth-west Victoria was often interrupted by the weather during the winter harvest season, which could see anaverage four rain days every week.
Ms Chapman said if growers leavethe PALM scheme in large numbers because of cost pressure of minimum working hours it would be a double whammy for relations between Pacific Island workers and Australianfarmers.
These communities, these islands, these countries, they rely so heavily on us, she said.
Meanwhile in Western Australia, Fruitico Group chief executiveRoger Fahlsaid while he understood the fairness of introducingminimum working hours,in practice the change was hard to swallow for his business.
Roger Fahl says some changes to the PALM scheme could be costly for his business.(ABC South West WA: Ellie Honeybone)
The table grape exporter, who is an approved employer under the scheme,employs about 250 workerson farms in the state's south west and far north.
We're out in mother nature, as most growers are, and she doesn't always play by the rules, he said.
A Department of Employment and Workplace Relations spokesperson said there wouldbe a staged implementation of the new PALM guidelines withplanned and unscheduled visitsto monitor changes.
The department consulted extensively over 18 months on potential changes to the PALM settings that include industry, approved employers, participating countries, unions, civil society groups and other stakeholders.
Cultural understanding needed
Dr Zirnsak said improving cultural understanding between employers and workers would also be addressed within the new guidelines.
[Employers]need to have some knowledge of Pacific Island cultures and treat workers in a respectful way, and that's going to increase worker productivity, he said.
Picker Mr Yakapus said employers understanding more about Islander culture would improve the program.
One of the most important things about Islanders is they have more respect with each other,he said.
When we say something bad to someone, we have to apologise to him before we continue the day, or we continue to work.
Mr Yakapus while there were challenges within the worker program,he washappy working to supporthis familyto buy food and to rebuild the house for them to sleep [in].
