Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (18:58):

Those opposite will take any opportunity to take a swipe at this government, but this time their swipe is particularly baseless. It's a swing and a miss. Building stronger rights and better working conditions for workers is fundamentally against their core values. It absolutely kills them to see a government looking out for workers. And, Deputy Speaker, I love it.

First, those opposite have tried to take credit for a scheme which was actually introduced by Labor. The Rudd government initiated the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme in 2008, aiming to involve Pacific seasonal workers in Australia's agricultural sector and strengthen Australia's ties with the region. This pilot program lasted for four seasons. In 2012, the Gillard government expanded this initiative and transformed it into a significant permanent program, known as the Seasonal Worker Program or SWP. The SWP maintained its original focus on short-term seasonal work. In 2018, the coalition government introduced a longer-term program called the Pacific Labour Scheme, which allowed Pacific workers to come to Australia for up to four years and to work in various industries located in regional and rural areas. In 2021 the coalition government decided to consolidate the Seasonal Worker Program and the Pacific Labour Scheme under a unified program called the PALM scheme, so claiming that the coalition can solely take credit for establishing the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme is completely untrue.

They try to slam our changes to the scheme and make out that we're leaving it in a shambles when what we're doing is making it stronger. We are committed to increasing protections and getting rid of exploitation of migrants. The reality right now is that workers under this scheme are vulnerable. They are stuck with an employer, are unable to leave at their choice and are without work, sometimes for weeks, entirely at the say of their employer. These workers leave their home, their families and their communities to the benefit of employers in Australia. They deserve better support, and this government is giving that to them.

These changes are driven by our Pacific and Timor-Leste partners, who have highlighted that low work hours is a major factor in discouraging workers. If these workers are going to give up everything to come to Australia, they need to earn enough money each week to support themselves and support their families and communities back at home. But right now the conditions of the PALM scheme visa prevent workers from being able to get other work if their employer is unable to give them enough work hours. This isn't fair on the workers and it's not achieving what the PALM scheme set out to achieve.

These changes are good for employers too. They mean that the workers are less likely to be disengaged and help create a workforce that is reliable. They also mean that workers are likely to come back again, which helps create higher productivity. These changes are a win all round.

Those opposite claim that these changes could cause disruption to the scheme and result in labour shortages. We know that these changes are big for employers, but the changes will be implemented gradually and carefully to ensure that the program continues to deliver wins for both workers and employers. This will make sure that there is time for employers and participating countries to adjust.

The PALM scheme is vital, but it is not the only thing that is important in meeting the workforce needs in the agriculture sector. We are taking action in multiple ways, like supporting growers to hire Australian workers through a range of programs, including the Workforce Australia services and Harvest Trail services. There are also other categories of temporary visa holders that can help fill some of the labour shortages to ensure harvest work continues, such as working holiday makers. This scheme has proven highly successful and, as at 31 May, there have been more than 137,000 working holidaymakers in Australia. Some 12,400 of them were granted further visas due to their work in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors.

Our agricultural sector is important. It's so important to make sure that it has good access to the labour that it needs to operate at the high level that it does. The PALM scheme is pivotal in making this happen, but we in the Labor Party want to make sure workers are treated right, whether they're foreigners or Australians. That is what these changes are all about. They are good for workers and good for employers.