For more information please visit the PALM scheme website or Facebook.
Labour mobility is highly valued by Pacific and Timor-Leste partners and is central to the Australia's engagement in the region. In line with the International Development Policy, Pacific labour mobility is a long-term commitment based on respect, listening, and learning from each other.
The PALM scheme delivers jobs for Pacific and Timor-Leste workers, enabling them to develop skills, earn income and support their families back home. It also helps create strong links between people, businesses, and communities, fostering deeper connections between Australia, the Pacific and Timor-Leste. Labour sending households benefit in many ways, including higher incomes, greater access to education for children and progress towards gender equality. Workers are empowered to establish businesses in their home country, creating jobs and economic growth in their local communities.
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme
The PALM scheme is an important temporary migration program to address unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled labour shortages across rural and regional Australia, and nationally for agriculture and select agriculture-related food product manufacturing sectors. Under the scheme, Australian businesses can hire workers from Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available. Once approved to participate in the PALM scheme, employers can recruit workers to fill positions for seasonal placements (short-term) of up to nine months or longer-term placements of between one and four years (long-term).
PALM scheme countries
Countries currently participating in the PALM scheme are Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste make a sovereign choice about their participation in the PALM scheme, and the Australian Government works with each country to ensure they can participate on their own terms. Skills training is embedded into the PALM scheme to make sure it delivers a skills dividend for Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste, where workers come to Australia, gain new work experience and often new skills, and take these home to their communities.
The wellbeing of Pacific and Timor-Leste workers is of the highest priority for the Australian Government and Pacific and Timor-Leste governments. All Pacific and Timor-Leste workers participating in the PALM scheme have the same workplace rights and protections as Australian workers, and additional measures are in place to support their wellbeing while they live and work in Australia.
Expanding and improving the PALM scheme – recent reforms
The Australian Government is committed to further expanding and improving and the PALM scheme and supporting Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste to participate in a way that delivers for each country's unique labour mobility ambitions. The Government has committed nearly $440 million across successive budgets to deliver on this promise.
At the 2023-24 Budget, the Government committed to strengthening the PALM scheme so that it continues to deliver for employers, and workers and their families and communities, including by:
- strengthening the Government's oversight of the PALM scheme to enhance conditions and better protect and support workers to improve their experience in Australia
- responsibly growing the PALM scheme and better supporting employers and participating countries by
- providing additional resources to DEWR to increase the Government's PALM scheme regional footprint to better support PALM scheme employers across Australia, including small growers
- increasing resources for participating countries to mobilise more workers to ensure countries with aspirations to grow their participation in the scheme
- supporting up to 1,500 PALM scheme workers to attain formal qualifications by 2028
- increasing support to make it easier for PALM scheme workers to access their superannuation savings when they return home
- providing access to Medicare for up to 200 families participating in a PALM scheme family accompaniment pilot.
See more information about the reforms
- PALM scheme reforms Budget Announcement – General Factsheet
- PALM scheme reforms – Frequently Asked Questions.
Pilots and programs in the PALM scheme
- Aged care expansion program information sheet
- Early childhood education and care pilot information sheet
- Family accompaniment pilot information sheet
Ministerial announcements
- 5 March 2025 |PALM scheme workers benefiting from skills training while in Australia
- 17 February 2025 |Northern Territory welcomes first Palm Scheme workers in early childhood education and care sector
- 13 September 2024 |Papua New Guinea aged care graduates to boost regional services
- 29 January 2024 |Additional support for Timorese palm workers
- 25 January 2024 |Palm scheme workers can now apply to bring family to Australia
A consultative approach to Pacific labour mobility
The Australian Government conducted a review into the governance and consultative mechanisms for the PALM scheme in 2024.
A streamlined consultation model was introduced to enable the Australian Government to effectively engage with all participants in the scheme and remain responsive to their evolving needs and expectations.
The Australian Government is committed to listening to and learning from stakeholders to ensure the PALM scheme continues to deliver for employers and, workers and their families and communities in the Pacific and Timor-Leste. See more information about avenues for engagement Stakeholder consultation and engagement.
Contact
- Media enquiries:media@dfat.gov.au
- Other enquiries:PALMscheme@dfat.gov.au