As there has been criticism claiming the government's latest move could push up food prices, PM Albanese has defended changes to a labour hire initiative. The opposition has criticized the new minimum hour requirements for temporary workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme; this lets eligible businesses hire employees from nine Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste to plug labour gaps, in agriculture-related jobs.
Under changes which came into effect on Monday, short-term workers must be given a minimum 30 hours per week averaged over four-weeks during their placement. That requirement runs through until June 30, when the rules impacting employers change again. From July 1, each worker has to be given at least 30 hours per week, every week during their placement, which lasts up to nine months.
However, there are industry concerns the 30-hour rule will be too difficult to implement, given the seasonal nature of the work on offer, and how it is also weather dependent.
Source: skynews.com.au