Warrigal Goulburn’s aged care home was honoured to host the Honourable Minister Agni Deo Singh, the Fijian Minister of Employment, Productivity, and Industrial Relations, on 13^th March 2023 to discuss and celebrate the success of the PALM (Pacific Australia Labour Mobility) scheme. The PALM scheme is a multinational project allowing Australian businesses to hire workers from nine Pacific Island nations, including Fiji, created to reduce labour shortages in regional Australia.

Minister Singh met with Warrigal CEO Jenni Hutchins, delegates from the Australian government, PLF (Pacific Labour Facility) representatives, and several Fijian Warrigal staff who have moved to Australia to work, with support from the PALM scheme.

The day began with Jenni welcoming the visitors to the home, followed by a welcome song performed by the Fijian PALM scheme workers. Warrigal Goulburn General Manager, Belinda McClelland and other Fijian delegates also gave speeches on the benefits of the PALM scheme to both employers and employees.

The Fijian delegates were then given a tour of the care home, and Minister Singh and the Fijian PALM scheme workers had a ‘talanoa’ (Fijian for a ‘little chat’) about their experiences in Australia. Minister Singh acknowledged the hardships they faced, leaving their homes and loved ones to provide care for older Australians and spoke about the pride the Fijian community had in the PALM workers. Minister Singh was happy to hear about the PALM scheme’s positive impact on Warrigal’s residents, the community and the Fijian team members. At the end of the visit, the Minister and Warrigal CEO Jenni Hutchins were gifted a beautiful garland made by the Fijian staff as a sign of respect, and a way of saying thank you for caring for them.

Jenni said, “Warrigal is proud to support the PALM scheme; it helps counteract workforce shortages by offering access to a pool of caring, community-spirited and reliable workers. The program benefits us from a staffing perspective and the participants, as they develop real career skills, gain valuable experience in aged care, and earn an income to support themselves and their families.”

She continued, “We look forward to working closely with Minister Singh and supporting the PALM scheme into the future as we continue our mission to support older people to live their best lives in our communities.”

Warrigal is hiring team members at their locations across NSW and the ACT. If you want to join their supportive team, visit https://warrigal.bigredsky.com/page.php?pageID=106 .