Australia’s Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy. [Photo: FIJI GOVERNMENT/ FACEBOOK]
Australia’s Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy says authorities will pursue every dollar owed to Pacific workers affected by the collapse of labour hire company iComply with the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme.
The company reportedly collapsed owing around $12 million Australian dollars, including about $4 million in unpaid superannuation to workers, many of them from Pacific countries, including Fiji.
There were also ongoing complaints of underpayment and welfare breaches, while liquidators found the company may have been trading while insolvent for several years.
Speaking in Fiji this week, Conroy acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and stressed that Pacific workers must receive the same protections and entitlements as Australian workers.
He says the Australian Government has already introduced stronger laws and invested more than $400 million into compliance measures under the PALM scheme since 2022.
Conroy also confirmed authorities are continuing investigations into the company and any possible wrongdoing.
“An important principle of the Albanese Labour Government around the PALM is we’ve changed the law to make sure that Pacific workers get exactly the same entitlements and protections as every Australian worker. They’re required to be paid the same wage under the same industrial agreements, including superannuation, and we have allocated over 400 million dollars to compliance activities for PALM since we came to government in 2022.”
He also thanked the thousands of Fijians currently working in Australia under the PALM scheme, describing their contribution as vital to both economies.
“I’m very aware of that particular company, and I’m urging the authorities to throw the book at them and to pursue every single dollar of unpaid wages and superannuation. We will continue to pursue that particular company for any wrongdoing and breaches.”
Currently, Fiji has over 5,000 Fijians working under the scheme.
