THE Federal Authorities is being urged to vary guidelines that see international farm staff having 35 % of their superannuation withheld on departure.
The Australian Staff Union the Accepted Employers of Australia are calling on Superannuation Minister Stephen Jones to step in and alter the system that taxes Pacific Island Labour Mobility scheme staff’ tremendous and makes it administratively troublesome to get it paid right into a Pacific checking account.
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is the first short-term migration program to handle unskilled, low-skilled, and semi-skilled workforce shortages in rural and regional Australia. Constructed on partnerships between Australia and Pacific island nations, this system accepts staff from ten taking part nations, together with Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
A Federal Authorities report revealed in December confirmed there have been 38,164 PALM scheme staff employed in Australia in 2023. Of that quantity, 9894 (26pc) had been employed within the “meat and meat product manufacturing” area. Agriculture, horticulture and fishing was the dominant PALM scheme consumer, accounting for an additional 69pc of all labour below the scheme.
The identical Authorities report revealed a 12 months earlier confirmed PALM labour in meat processing at 7801 individuals on the finish of 2022 – representing an increase of 27pc within the following 12 months.
The AWU’s Marketing campaign is looking on the federal government to make 4 adjustments to the settings of tremendous for staff employed below the PALM Scheme:
- Simplify Superannuation Paperwork – Streamline the method by permitting PALM staff to finish all superannuation-related paperwork upon arrival in Australia, decreasing administrative burdens and delays when accessing their financial savings.
- Remove Departing Australia Superannuation Fee Withdrawal Taxation – Take away the excessive withdrawal taxes at the moment imposed on PALM staff’ superannuation, making certain that they’ll retain extra of their financial savings for his or her future.
- Facilitate Portability to Dwelling Retirement Funds – The place attainable, create choices for PALM staff to switch their superannuation to impartial retirement funds of their residence nations, serving to them construct long-term monetary safety.
- Set up Most well-liked Superannuation Funds – Promote Australian Tremendous and Prime Tremendous as most popular funds within the PALM Tips to simplify entry, forestall for-profit exploitation, and assist focused campaigns to coach staff on their tremendous choices.
“The PALM scheme isn’t just about sourcing labour, it’s meant to engender good relations with Australia’s Pacific neighbours,” AWU nationwide secretary Paul Farrow mentioned.
“It’s fairly robust to see how seizing 35pc of staff’ superannuation is sending the fitting message,” he mentioned.
“I believe it’s a really dangerous search for Australia, particularly contemplating what has occurred on this nation’s historical past, to be unreasonably seizing the hard-earned wages of Pacific staff. PALM staff inform us it leaves a really bitter style within the mouth, and that’s the very reverse of what the scheme is supposed to attain.
“The present administrative course of confounds, delays and infrequently denies PALM staff hundreds of {dollars} in earnings. In line with a current research, a 3rd of all staff within the scheme are simply unable to entry the tremendous they earned.”
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