Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make to make my contribution to the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Australia's Engagement in the Pacific) Bill 2023. Australia is closely linked to our Pacific nations socially and economically. Approximately 160,000 Australians were born in Pacific countries and around 270,000 have one parent born in a Pacific country. In my community alone, thousands were born in countries all across the Pacific, and thousands more have parents that were born there. It represents a strong people-to-people connection between us and the Pacific.

Economically, Australia remains one of the biggest development partners and a large trading partner with the Pacific. Migration, such as through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, the PALM scheme, has greatly benefited the economies of Australia and Pacific nations. Since coming into office, the Albanese government has been continually working to grow this close connection. Recently the Australian Defence Force specialists deployed in five countries across the Indo-Pacific region as part of the Pacific Partnership 2023—the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission in the region. In October last year, the Albanese government fulfilled an election commitment to expand aerial surveillance of the Pacific countries' exclusive economic zones under the Pacific Maritime Security Program. The expansion will help countries tackle illegal fishing, which is a practice that drains hundreds of millions of dollars out of Pacific economies every year.

In the area of climate change, which is a challenge that Pacific nations understand better than any other, the Albanese government has expanded climate action both domestically and in the region. The October budget established the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership to support climate adaptation and resilience projects throughout the Pacific. The Albanese government has advocated to co-host the UN climate change conference in the Pacific to highlight the consequences of climate change in the region, and we've co-sponsored Vanuatu's request to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on climate change. The Albanese government has also increased Australia's official development assistance budget for Pacific countries by $900 million over four years, providing $1.9 billion in development assistance in the 2023-24 year and is providing health care, education, sewerage infrastructure and other critical social services.

The bill being debated here today demonstrates the Albanese government's continued commitment to Australia's unique relationship with our Pacific neighbours, of which we are very proud. We are proud of being one of the most vibrant multicultural societies in the world and being a society that values the contribution of many cultures that call Australia home. We're proud of our strong safety net and educational support that ensure that families are not left behind and give people an opportunity to get ahead. We're proud to be one of the highest-quality agricultural producers in the world. The bill will ensure that we can remain proud of these Australian values and strengthen them.

Beginning with the PALM scheme, this bill sets out to strengthen one of the most important Pacific policies. The PALM scheme is vital for Australian farmers who are facing labour shortages across rural and regional Australia. It enables Pacific and Timor-Leste workers to help fill labour shortages, and it delivers jobs and economic benefits for employees, employers and our agricultural regions. Since the Albanese government came to office, the number of PALM workers has increased from approximately 25,000 to almost 40,000. Earlier this year, the Albanese government moved to strengthen safeguards to stop the exploitation of workers in the PALM scheme, ensuring that migrant workers have pay parity with domestic workers and increasing transparency surrounding accommodation costs and other deductions. Building on these changes, the government has announced a pilot program which will allow PALM workers to bring their families to Australia.

Workers that take part in the PALM scheme move to Australia for years at a time, and that separates them from their families. The pilot program will allow 200 families of PALM workers who have been in the country for at least 12 months to migrate to Australia. The government is taking a measured and sensible approach in the form of a pilot which will enable the government to monitor the new measure and ensure that it works for all parties. With the introduction of this new measure, this bill will set out to expand access to the appropriate benefits for these families. By amending the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999, these families will be eligible for family tax benefit parts A and B, as well as the childcare subsidy. These changes will support families to meet costs of living and ease pressure on households by giving both partners the opportunity to participate in the workforce, because PALM workers, like all workers, are the foundation of our success. They are the ones that support critical industries and sectors such as agriculture and, more recently, aged care. Their importance to our nation and their importance to our close relationships with our Pacific neighbours are recognised in this bill.

Another measure introduced by the Albanese government to strengthen our relations in the Pacific is the new Pacific engagement visa, the PEV. Despite being our closest neighbours, less than one per cent of Australia's permanent migration intake is from Pacific countries. The PEV recognises the growing Pacific and Timor Leste diaspora in Australia, allocating up to 3,000 permanent visas for Pacific nationals annually. The visas will be allocated through a ballot process. If selected, participants will need to apply, as well as meet various eligibility requirements. These requirements will include being aged 18 to 45 to enter the ballot, being selected through that process, have an ongoing job offer, meet English language requirements as well as health and character checks, hold a passport of a participating country and have been born or have a parent born in an eligible country. The PEV was designed in close consultation with various Pacific nations to ensure that it delivers on bringing together our Pacific family and benefiting all of us.

The Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Australia’s Engagement in the Pacific) Bill 2023 will enhance the Pacific engagement visas by expanding various support measures to those visa holders and their families. The bill will also amend A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999, to provide family tax benefit A to PEV holders. It amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and the VET Student Loans Act 2016 to allow PEV holders access to the Higher Education Loan Program and to VET student loans.

Additionally, the bill amends the Social Security Act 1991 to allow access to Austudy as well as to youth allowance for both students and apprentices. These measures are incredibly important because they open up educational opportunities for our Pacific nations and help with the skills shortages that Australia is experiencing in the short-term and the broader labour issues we are facing in the long-term.

Australia is a Pacific nation. We are proudly a part of a vast and diverse Pacific region. The measures detailed in this bill and the amendments they make to strengthen the Pacific engagement visa in the PALM scheme are a demonstration of Australia's commitment to our Pacific family. We will always stand ready as a partner and will continue to support our Pacific family both within and outside Australia. I commend the bill to the House.

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