Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

I am so glad the Minister for International Development and the Pacific is sitting at the table so he can hear this contribution, because despite warnings from the coalition and industry bodies, last year Labor and the minister ploughed ahead with unworkable changes to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, jeopardising our agricultural industry—he knows it—and our foreign relations.

The changes forced employers to guarantee 30 hours per week. Those whose day jobs actually involve growing the world's best produce knew that there was a deep rooted lack of comprehension of seasonality and how weather can dictate the hours a PALM employer can provide. These flaws were raised in Senate estimates—which are on today, in questions in writing to the minister for the Pacific and through very strong media advocacy, because it was the wrong way to go.

Thankfully, it's turned the tide, so he can take this either way. He can take it as a compliment, but he ought not, because he knows that this has led to PALM employers losing employees. The union puppetmasters pulled the same tricks that you'd always expect them to pull under a Labor government. Our complaints sadly fell on deaf ears until last week, and thankfully the government and the minister have backflipped, but only after seeing a decline of—wait for this—10.2 per cent in short-term workers and 10.4 per cent for all PALM workers in agriculture. From 1 July, growers will now be able to offer 120 hours of work over four weeks to employees. At least thanks for making those changes.

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