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Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme - Notice No. 1
Information regarding the phased implementation of pay parity requirements.
Employer guidelines amendment: national minimum wage
The current PALM scheme employer guidelines require PALM scheme workers to be paid the national minimum wage or in accordance with the relevant Fair Work instrument, whichever is higher.
After the guidelines were drafted, the independent Fair Work Commission released its 2022-23 Annual Wage Review decision which resulted in a number of adult pay rates within some awards – primarily introductory rates including for horticulture and meat industry awards – falling below the national minimum wage.
Following significant stakeholder feedback, the government has agreed to amend the PALM scheme employer guidelines to replace references to the national minimum wage with the applicable minimum rate of pay. DEWR has revised and published an updated version on the PALM scheme webpage. The revised approach, as outlined in the guidelines, will take effect retrospectively from the date of execution of the PALM scheme deed.
PALM Scheme Worker Privacy and Consent form
Approved Employers (AEs) have an obligation to ensure that all new and existing PALM scheme workers (long-term term and short-term) have signed the new PALM scheme Worker Privacy and Consent form. All PALM scheme workers must sign the new form, regardless if they had signed one under the PLS or SWP Deed.
AEs are to ensure they retain copies of their PALM scheme workers’ forms and provide them to the Department upon request.