A report on seasonal farm work in Australia released last month has recommended "cultural leadership and guidance from Pacific people" is essential for Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme (P.A.L.M.) workers.

The recommendation is contained in a report published last month titled "Turbulent Times: The State of Backpacking and Seasonal Farm Work in Australia" published by the Brisbane-based Griffith University. It was authored by Dr. Kaya Barry, Rafael Azeredo, and Ari Balle-Bowness.

The report outlined the preliminary findings of research on the future of seasonal farm workers in Australia, specifically focusing on backpackers and Pacific Island workers in horticultural jobs in Queensland. 

The report said one of the key messages that they came across during their interviews highlighted the need for P.A.L.M. workers "to have cultural leadership and guidance from Pacific people".

"Building awareness and information resources for people and businesses that are directly involved with P.A.L.M. workers should be coming from Pacific people, not Australians," reads the report.

"'Leadership must come from Pacific people themselves', one participant who provides support services for P.A.L.M. workers stated. 

"A Pacific diaspora is already present across many regional areas, and it is evident from the interviews that these communities are already being sought out for informal support services."

According to the report, none of the interviewees who signed up for the P.A.L.M. scheme (e.g. accommodation operators, farmers, or labour hire / Approved Employers) received any type of formal cultural awareness training or induction for working with Pacific peoples.

"It should be noted that at this initial stage in the project, stakeholders interviewed were almost all white Australians, and had little interaction with Pacific Islanders or the diaspora communities prior to their encounters with workers.

"After being approved for the P.A.L.M. scheme (and the previous PLS [Pacific Labour Scheme] and SWP [Seasonal Worker Program]), several hostels and farms said they had approached community organisations, sports clubs, or churches that had existing residents who are part of the Pacific diaspora.

"Several interviewees said they had sought out local churches to visit their accommodation on a regular basis for services, pastoral care, and in-language events."

The report said there was also agreement that "some kind of formal cultural induction and training" would benefit people and businesses in Australia who engaged with P.A.L.M. workers.

"The Pacific Island Council of Queensland (PICQ) is a key actor, and several participants said they had liaised directly with PICQ for advice and support," added the report.

"Further, several interviewees asked the lead researcher (Kaya Barry) for advice and recommendations of who or where to seek cultural training from.

"Only a small number of stakeholders who were interviewed are Pacific Islanders themselves."

However, the report added that there was consensus that responsibility of the diaspora, and the wealth of support and compassion that the diaspora can be, needs to be a key part of future policy making and decisions.

"Direct involvement with Pacific communities from the start, who can work with newly arrived P.A.L.M. workers in-language and form connections to the diaspora community, was suggested in interviews."

The report's insights and findings were based on 44 interviews with stakeholders representing industry, government and the community. In 2019, prior to the border closures brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, there were approximately 7,000 workers on the SWP [Seasonal Worker Program] and PLS [Pacific Labour Scheme] in Australia according to the report. However, as of September 2022 the numbers have grown exponentially with over 18,000 P.A.L.M. workers.