| On Monday 22 September, the Australian Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (APGPD) hosted an online briefing focused on the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) needs of Pacific and Timorese labour migrants in Australia. The event brought together parliamentarians, advisors, community leaders, and sector experts for a timely discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing PALM (Pacific Australia Labour Mobility) participants. The briefing featured three distinguished speakers: Lindy Kanan Social Researcher and Adjunct Industry Fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast Bess Bowry – Interpreter and senior member of the I-Kiribati community in NSW Dr Adele Murdolo – CEO, Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health The panel presentations were followed by a Q&A and discussion and we heard from our wonderful co-chairs Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Dr Carina Garland. LINDY KANAN Lindy Kanan presented findings from her recent study on reproductive justice and the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme, sharing powerful insights into the lived experiences of PALM participants, particularly women.Lindy’s research, funded by DFAT’s Pacific Research Program and conducted through the ANU’s Development Policy Centre, used a Reproductive Justice Framework. This approach centres on the right to have a child, the right not to have a child, and the right to parent in safe and healthy environments. The study was driven by concerns raised by sexual and reproductive health providers in regional Queensland and involved interviews with over 50 people, including PALM participants, employers, health workers, and community stakeholders across Australia, Fiji, and Vanuatu. Key Points from the Presentation: Pregnancy-related discrimination: Women face pressure to return home if pregnant, and sending countries require pregnancy testing. Limited access to reproductive healthcare: Many participants are unclear about insurance coverage and struggle to access culturally safe services. Structural reproductive coercion: Some women feel they have no choice but to terminate pregnancies due to lack of support or fear of job loss. Barriers to parenting: PALM workers are excluded from paid parental leave, childcare subsidies, and other family supports. Gender-based violence: Participants experience harassment and violence in workplaces and accommodation, with limited access to confidential support .Lindy outlined 13 recommendations, including better information on sexual and reproductive health, employer training, culturally safe services, and policy reform to ensure PALM participants, especially women, can live and work in Australia with dignity and safety. Here is a link to Lindy’s full report Here is a link to the presentation shared at the briefing BESS BOWRY Bess Bowry shared several case studies highlighting the unique challenges faced by Pacific Island workers in Australia, particularly around pregnancy, childbirth, and family separation. Lydia’s Story: Lydia arrived in Australia on a short-term contract and became pregnant after the COVID border closure. Fearing job loss, she hid her pregnancy from her employer. After giving birth, her baby remained in hospital for monitoring, but Lydia had to return to work far from the hospital and struggled with transport and language barriers. Misunderstandings led to Child Protection Services intervening, and her baby was placed in care. Lydia suffered significant emotional distress and eventually returned to her home country, while her child remained in Australia. Veronica’s Story: Veronica became pregnant as a result of sexual assault by her partner. Unable to support the child and wishing to avoid reminders of the trauma, she gave the baby up for adoption so the child could have a better life in Australia. Sally’s Story: Sally experienced two pregnancies while on a short-term contract and self-managed her abortions due to financial constraints, fear of job loss, and not wanting to bring shame to her family back home Key Issues Identified Many workers are unaware of the costs and complexities of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare in Australia, which differ greatly from their home countries where community support is stronger and healthcare is often free.Critical information about health, legal rights, and employment is often not provided in the workers’ native languages, leading to misunderstandings and distressing outcomes.Shame, fear of job loss, and lack of male involvement in reproductive health discussions contribute to poor outcomes for women.Bess Bowry’s presentation highlighted the urgent need for better support and understanding of the unique challenges faced by PALM participants, especially women, in navigating pregnancy and family life while working in Australia. Here is a link to the presentation shared at the briefing. DR ADELE MURDOLO Dr Adele Murdolo shared insights into the work of the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH), a migrant and refugee women-led organisation focused on health promotion across Victoria and nationally. MCWH uses an intersectional feminist and evidence-based approach, ensuring both their interventions and delivery methods are grounded in research and best practice. Health in My Language Program Launched in 2022 as a national response to address barriers to COVID-19 vaccine literacy and uptake in migrant communities. Delivers in-language health education to migrant and refugee women and gender-diverse people, using bilingual health educators who reflect the communities they serve. Extensive reach: In the past year, the program engaged 26,000 stakeholders through outreach and over 8,000 participants in 515 sessions, covering 96 cultural groups in 34 languages. Collaborative model: Partner organisations based in each state and territory employ educators, conduct community engagement, and deliver sessions, while MCWH provides coordination, multilingual resources and ongoing training and support. Evaluation shows strong impact: Sessions significantly increased knowledge and confidence around sexual and reproductive health (SRHR), with 94% of participants likely to talk to health professionals and 92% likely to access SRHR services after attending. Reaching PALM Scheme Workers TRUE Relationships & Reproductive Health (Queensland partner) leads outreach to Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme workers, delivering sessions in multiple languages (including Samoan, Tok Pisin, and English).Key needs identified: There is a need for tailored, comprehensive SRHR education for Pacific workers, clear referral pathways, and improved communication between Australia and Pacific countries. Many workers are in remote locations, making access and referrals challenging.Dr Murdolo emphasised the effectiveness of partnership models, the importance of ongoing collaboration with Pacific-led organisations to ensure health education is accessible, relevant, and trusted, and the potential for the Health in my Language program to reach more PALM scheme workers across Australia. Here is a link to the presentation shared at the briefing. FURTHER RESOURCES Reports Kanan L, 2025, “It’s not illegal to be pregnant”: Research report on reproductive justice and the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, Development Policy Centre, Australian National University. Research brief and full report. Kanan L and Putt J, 2023, Safety and wellbeing in Australia’s Pacific labour mobility scheme, Research Report, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University. True Relationships and Reproductive Health, 2024, Report on the PALM Worker Wellness Event: Mareeba, Queensland, 20-21 July 2024. International Planned Parenthood Federation, 2025, Niu Vaka Gap Analysis Report, April 2025. Blogs Kanan L, 2025, Pregnancy, parenting and the PALM scheme, Canberra: Development Policy Centre, Australian National University. Kanan L, Moloney K, Ratu S and Kaltapang K, 2024, Pacific labour mobility: let’s talk about sex, Canberra: Development Policy Centre, Australian National University. Seymour M and Vaccher S, 2025, Sexual health screening for PALM workers, Canberra: Development Policy Centre, Australian National University. Journal articles Fox, H., Mude, W., Vaughan, G., Preston, R., O’Mullan, C., & Gu, Z., 2025, Public health policy for temporary seasonal workers with chronic hepatitis B in high‐income countries: A comparative analysis. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 36(2), e928. Seymour M, O’Connor S, Hou L, Tafa S, Tata S, Smoll N, Vaccher S, Preston-Thomas A, Moodley N, 2025, Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and positive treponemal serology in Solomon Islands guest workers in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 49(3):100241. Web pages Statement on Reproductive Health and Rights for PALM Scheme Workers, Australian Women’s Health Alliance, 2025 https://australianwomenshealth.org/2025/05/13/reproductive-health-and-rights-for-palm-scheme-workers/ Supporting PALM scheme workers in NSW, Sexual Health Info Link (New South Wales Health) https://www.shil.nsw.gov.au/palm-scheme Improving Health Outcomes for Pacific Island Seasonal Workers in Regional Queensland, Central Queensland University https://www.cqu.edu.au/about-us/our-schools/health-medical-applied-sciences/improving-health-outcomes-for-pacific-island-seasonal-workers-in-regional-queensland |