THE Labour Mobility Unit (LMU) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MFAET) is warning the public over bogus agents collecting upfront payments from people with the promise of jobs in Australia.
In a statement issued yesterday, LMU said it is aware that certain individuals are collecting payments of up to AUD$100 and documents from the public and sending people to do medical check-ups as a prerequisite to getting a job in Australia.
A certain individual has also claimed to be recruiting for an Australian Company that is not part of the PALM scheme Approved Employers, it said.
“The public is strongly advised that there are no recruiting agents associated with any part of this process and that there is no application fee.
“It is important for the Public to know that there are NO agents for the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme or the Australian labour mobility programs. In Solomon Islands, the only registered agents are for the New Zealand labour mobility program or the RSE.
“The public is therefore asked to report to the Police if they have been wronged by people acting as bogus agents,” LMU said in the statement.
LMU said there are benefits for workers going through the right process that it facilitates for jobs in Australia under the PALM Scheme.
“Two significant benefits of being a PALM worker is the provision of Health Insurance and superannuation payments.
“Secondly, workers under the PALM scheme are also supported by a number of Australian and Solomon Islands Government support systems and institutions to ensure workers welfare and wellbeing.”
LMU said workers not employed under PALM will not benefit from provisions that continue to grow the scheme as a catalyst for improving the standard of living for thousands of Solomon Islanders in recent times.
“Workers who work illegally in Australia are also vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous contractors who have been known to take advantage of workers and their undocumented work status,” it added.
– MFAET
