"Australia's PALM working visa scheme is a 'modern day slavery risk', advocates say. The system needs to change — and fast", 11 October 2024

ACTU president Michele O'Neil is calling on the government to reform a temporary working visa scheme that prevents workers leaving bad bosses and to blacklist dodgy employers who use migration worker exploitation as a business model.

"It is posing a modern day slavery risk," O'Neil told the ABC.

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She has a strong case. Worker exploitation is happening in plain sight across Australia, and while there have been some reforms over the past few years, the PALM scheme is the last of the temporary visa programs where workers are tied, or bonded, to their employer, the sponsor.

It means when things go wrong, such as underpayment, excessive accommodation fees, or other forms of abuse or exploitation, workers don't have the right to change employers.

If they do leave, they automatically lose their rights, and are labelled absconders or disengaged workers of the scheme.

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An estimated 45 workers on the PALM scheme died between June 1, 2022 and June 2023.

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