Regional Accelerator Forum participants in Cairns, September 2021. Photo: Pacific Labour Facility
Study to investigate safety and wellbeing of Pacific workers in Australia
Researchers at ANU Department of Pacific Affairs are embarking on a study to investigate the safety and wellbeing of workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
The researchers have been working with the Pacific Labour Facility (PLF) to design the study, which will focus on five locations: Cairns and Caboolture in Queensland, Wagga Wagga and Tamworth in NSW and Naracoorte in South Australia.
The locations have been selected to align with a series of community forums delivered by the PLF over 2021 and 2022, known as ‘Regional Accelerator Forums’. The forums aim to bring together a range of stakeholders that form a ‘community of care’ for workers.
The number of Pacific workers on long-term contracts in Australia is fast expanding. As at December 2021, Queensland had the highest number of Pacific Labour Scheme workers (2100), followed closely by NSW (1929) and the numbers are expected to double over the next couple of years.
The study will cover research questions including ‘what factors impact the safety and wellbeing of workers’ and ‘what barriers do they face in seeking support’?
As the PALM scheme grows, the researchers hope to contribute knowledge on the factors and approaches that best support the wellbeing of Pacific Islanders while they work in Australia and inform policy decisions in this area.
The study is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
Contact Ms Lindy Kanan and Dr Judy Putt for more information.
