Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Australia's Engagement in the Pacific) Bill 2023

The majority voted in favour of a motion to agree with the main idea of the bill (known as giving it a second reading). This means they can now discuss it in greater detail.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest:

The Bill will:

• provide Pacific engagement visa holders with an exemption to the newly arrived resident’s waiting period for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A, Youth Allowance (student and apprentice) and Austudy

• allow Pacific engagement visa holders to access the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) and the Vocational Education and Training student loan (VSL) program and

• allow long-term Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme workers and their families who are in Australia to access FTB Part A, FTB Part B and the Child Care Subsidy.

The Pacific engagement visa is a proposed new permanent visa, with up to 3,000 places allocated each year via a ballot or lottery system. Applicants will need to be citizens of eligible Pacific Island countries or Timor-Leste, and have a job offer in Australia.

The PALM scheme commenced in April 2022 and enables eligible employers to hire workers from participating Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste. In the October 2022–23 Budget, the Government announced a pilot program where a small number of long term PALM scheme workers could bring family members with them.

The measures will enable Pacific engagement visa holders to access FTB Part A immediately on arrival in Australia, and will provide an opportunity for these visa holders (including family members) to take up tertiary studies with the support of student income support payments and student loans. PALM workers will also be able to access family assistance payments, unlike most other temporary visa holders.

The proposed measures will provide Pacific engagement visa holders and long-term PALM workers with access to benefits that many other visa holders either cannot access or must serve long waiting periods before accessing.

Rebellion?

Note that Victorian Senator David Van (Independent) is currently showing up as a rebel voter from the Liberal Party in this division. This is inaccurate, as Senator Van is no longer in the Liberal Party.