The Federal Government has been accused of lying over the falling numbers of Pacific Australia Labour Mobility workers in agriculture.
The number of PALM workers in the industry fell by more than 20 per cent, from 21,915 to 16,705 workers between July, 2023 and September, 2024, according to government figures.
More than half of Australia’s PALM workers are employed in agriculture with Victoria having 5680 in employment in September this year.
Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud said on November 7 the figures revealed Labor’s changes to the PALM Scheme in July 2023 had made the scheme unworkable and had failed farmers.
At Senate Estimates on Wednesday, November 6 opposition Senator Matthew Canavan quizzed staff from Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt’s office about ‘misleading’ representation of the PALM worker data.
Senator Canavan repeatedly asked department staff and the minister how the raw data could be described as ‘growth’ and showed the committee a graph of the falling figures.
Senator Watt said earlier PALM worker data had been unreliable.
“The data was always over stated, so it wasn’t so much that the data went down,” Senator Watt said.
“I don’t think we have actually the correct number from July, 2023.”
Senator Canavan criticised the former minister Tony Burke for telling the committee in February there had been ‘no collapse’ in PALM worker numbers.
“But in terms of agriculture, we are seeing what you could say is an exodus in worker numbers,” Senator Canavan said.
Criticism of last year’s changes to the scheme included forcing farmers to pay a minimum of 30 hours a week for each week.
The government changed that requirement in May 2024 to enable farmers to average 120 guaranteed hours over four weeks.
That change expires on July 1, 2025.
Mr Littleproud said farmers were continuing to hire less workers as a response to the change and accused Labor of “not understanding” the agriculture industry in terms of seasonal and weather-dependent harvests.
“Labor’s changes to the PALM Scheme have been disastrous for farmers and industry because Labor made it unworkable and unrealistic,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Historically, the PALM Scheme has helped to fill labour gaps in rural and regional Australia by offering employers access to a pool of workers.
“The importance of the PALM Scheme to a thriving Australian agricultural sector cannot be overstated (and) when supply goes down, prices go up.”
International Development and the Pacific Shadow Minister Michael McCormack said the PALM Scheme allowed Pacific and Timor-Leste workers to take up jobs in Australia, develop their skills and send income home to support their families and communities.
“Labor has been misleading about the consequences of its terrible changes to this important Coalition policy, saying there was ‘nothing to see here’ when that’s simply not the case,” Mr McCormack said.
“The money sent from Pacific workers in Australia to their families back home makes up a significant amount of GDP locally and is helping families and whole communities, contributing to raising standards of living and better health and education outcomes.
“A future Coalition Government will reinstate the Agriculture Visa, to bring in the workers our farmers need, which, in turn, will increase the supply of food for families at the checkout.”