The Australian High Commission in Fiji has moved quickly to dismiss a wave of fake social media posts falsely claiming the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is under review or facing suspension, calling the claims “baseless” and the product of doctored content.
In a statement, the High Commission said it was “disappointed to see clear cases of disinformation circulating about the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme,” stressing that neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nor Australia’s 9 News network had issued any recent statements about PALM.
“Despite what you might have seen on your social media, the Australian Prime Minister has made no recent statements about PALM, nor has Australia’s 9 News network reported on any supposed recent PALM statements made by the Prime Minister,” the mission said.
The High Commission reaffirmed the ongoing value of the scheme, adding, “PALM workers make a critical economic contribution to Australia and enrich the culture of communities across the country.”
“Australia remains fully committed to PALM and the opportunities it creates for Fijians to take new work experience and skills home to their communities.”
The clarification follows a fabricated news post circulated on Saturday that used a mocked-up news card featuring Prime Minister Albanese, falsely alleging that the scheme was being reconsidered because of criminal cases involving Fijian workers.
The Fiji Government also issued a firm rebuttal, labelling the posts “fabricated and misleading”. The statement added:
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade wishes to advise the public that recent social media reports regarding the alleged suspension of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme are false.”
It added that, after verifying with Australian authorities, “no such statement has been issued by the Australian Government”. The ministry reassured workers and employers that the PALM partnership “remains strong and continues as normal,” urging the public not to share misinformation and to rely on official channels for updates.
The two governments say the scheme continues unaffected and that disinformation campaigns risk unnecessarily alarming workers, families, and employers.
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