The United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Professor Tomoya Obokata, has raised troubling concerns about the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme. His findings point to systemic flaws that leave many workers, including large numbers from Tonga, at risk of exploitation once they arrive in Australia. The warning could not be clearer. First-time recruits are especially exposed. Lacking experience, limited in their understanding of contracts and workplace rights, and often drawn from rural communities, they are the most vulnerable participants in a system that too often places them at the mercy of a single employer.

For Tonga, the message carries urgency. It is not enough to celebrate the economic benefits of remittances while ignoring the human cost borne by the very citizens who generate them. Between 2020 and 2023, more than two hundred PALM workers were injured and forty-five died while working in Australia. These are not abstract figures but reminders that the risks are real and immediate. The Ministry of Internal Affairs cannot stand aside. It has a duty to act decisively to prepare, protect and support Tongans before they leave and after they arrive abroad.

Preparation must be more than a token gesture. Pre-departure training should be thorough, equipping workers with knowledge of their rights, an understanding of contracts, and information on where to seek help if problems arise. Financial and legal counselling is essential to ensure workers are not signing away protections or exposing themselves to debt and exploitation. The government must also consider a staged approach to recruitment, prioritising those with experience or certified training, while giving first-time workers additional preparation and support.