00:00Susan Pinoo wanted to provide for her family back in Solomon Islands and save money for university.
00:10So she joined Australia's Seasonal Worker Scheme.
00:13But things quickly took a turn for the worse.
00:16I was left with nothing. Sometimes we're gonna left with 100 bucks, 200.
00:23After 11 months of irregular hours and poor pay, Susan said she had no choice but to leave.
00:29I feel sad. I feel like commit suicide. Yeah.
00:37Pregnant with her daughter, she found refuge in Leeton in the New South Wales Riverina.
00:43Now on a bridging visa, she is one of more than 7,000 workers who have left the Palm Scheme and stayed in Australia since 2019.
00:52The experiences of these workers is the focus of a new report.
00:56We saw several pay slips that people showed us where they'd receive like zero take home pay.
01:02They're largely being, you know, exposed to situations that are equivalent to modern slavery.
01:08In your country, do your country...
01:10Locals in Leeton hope the solutions they're trying will become a model for the rest of the country.
01:14We can't walk away when we see people that maybe haven't been treated fairly.
01:19They don't really know where to go. They're frightened. They don't have any real connection.
01:24So we fill that gap.
01:26The Palm Scheme is often called a win-win for farmers and Pacific Island labourers.
01:32And many are relying on its success. Experts are calling for changes they say will keep more workers in the scheme.
01:39There needs to be much more flexibility for people as individuals employed on the Palm Scheme visa to actually have their say.
01:48They should feel empowered and able to make requests to move within the scheme.
01:54Providing hope and security to those who need it most.
01:58That will change.
01:59What cause you for people who don't want to call...
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