More than 32,000 people from the Pacific and East Timor work in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme (PALM), mostly employed in horticulture and meat processing. The scheme meets crucial labour market needs in regional Australia, benefits Pacific communities through remittances sent to workers' families, and advances Australia's diplomatic interests, yet it is also dogged by persistent problems. 

This report is based on interviews with workers, employers, trade union organisers, country liaison officers, community volunteers and academics, to expand on and illuminate available data and research. It explores where PALM has delivered real benefits, and where structural challenges remain, particularly in relation to worker mobility, exploitation, accommodation, and access to healthcare and superannuation. 

The report places PALM within Australia’s broader relationships with Pacific nations, including its strategic rivalry with China, and moves beyond the supply of labour to questions of fairness, partnership and long-term sustainability. It is offered as a constructive, evidence-informed resource for reflection and discussion across policy, industry, research and community settings. 

It provides ten recommendations for reform, including making it easier for PALM workers to change jobs rather than tying them to one employer, regulating labour hire at the national level, giving workers access to Medicare and reforming working holiday programs.