A Samoan worker who tragically lost his life in a car accident last week in Australia has been identified as Mose Poasa. 

His death marks the tenth fatality involving Samoan migrant workers abroad since November last year, continuing a worrying trend of fatalities linked to temporary employment programs in Australia and New Zealand.

Poasa was employed under the Pacific Australia Labor Mobility (P.A.L.M.) scheme. He was reportedly working to support his family back home in Samoa when the fatal incident occurred. While attempts to contact his grieving family have been unsuccessful, his death has reignited concerns about the safety of Samoan workers engaged in overseas labour.

The accident occurred on the Cunningham Highway approximately 120 kilometres southwest of Brisbane. It involved a collision between two trucks. The crash, which took place near the town of Tregony on the Southern Downs, resulted in the death of Poasa, who was a passenger in one of the vehicles, and another individual. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Six others were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment.

Last November, four Samoan workers died after their vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire. 

In June of this year, two other Samoan workers were killed in a major crash in northern Victoria. More recently, in August, three seasonal workers from Samoa, who were due to return home after completing their contracts in New Zealand, also died in a car accident.

The increasing number of fatalities, particularly those involving traffic accidents, has sparked concerns about the safety of Samoan workers travelling abroad, especially in Australia, where road conditions and driving laws differ markedly from those in Samoa. 

Samoan authorities are taking steps to address these concerns. 

Lautimuia Uelese Va'ai, the Minister responsible for the Labour Employment Export Program (L.E.E.P.), has confirmed that the government is reviewing safety protocols for Samoan workers abroad. 

In a previous interview, he emphasised the importance of updating the terms and conditions of contracts and improving the orientation programs under the Recognised Seasonal Employment Scheme (R.S.E.S.). 

He noted that workers must be thoroughly trained and familiarised with the work environment, particularly the road conditions and driving laws in Australia. 

He pointed out that many of the fatalities involve workers who may not be accustomed to driving in a foreign country, where conditions can be very different from what they are used to in Samoa.

To address these challenges, the Samoan government is exploring partnerships with Australian employers to implement more comprehensive orientation programs. These programs, Lautimuia said, would better prepare workers for the realities they may face abroad, especially when it comes to unfamiliar and sometimes hazardous driving conditions.

He acknowledged that the government is aware of the great impacts these accidents have on the families of these workers who pray and wait for their safe return home only for them to return home in caskets.