Illustrative photograph. Not a specific Orchard Tech workplace or a named PALM worker.
Last reviewed: 29 August 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. Welfare duties are set out in the current PALM scheme Approved Employer Deed and Approved Employer Guidelines. Check the live Welfare and Wellbeing Support Person hub.
Every PALM scheme Approved Employer must provide workers with a Worker Welfare and Wellbeing Support Person (WWSP). That is not a courtesy title. DEWR says the deed and guidelines require it. The official hub lists the job as: promoting health, safety and wellbeing; identifying and responding to welfare concerns; connecting workers with services; supporting culturally safe living and working in Australia; and meeting workers regularly.
Fortnightly face-to-face meetings
The hub is unambiguous: fortnightly face-to-face meetings are a requirement under the PALM scheme. DEWR says regular in-person contact is how support people build trust, notice cultural adjustment and language barriers, pick up non-verbal cues, and give workers a regular chance to raise concerns early.
DEWR publishes a WWSP toolkit, meeting planner and discussion guides on the employer resources page. Those templates exist so meetings are planned and recorded, not squeezed into a corridor chat. Adapt them to the cohort and the site. Do not skip them because the harvest is busy.
The 1-to-120 ratio
A Development Policy Centre policy brief published on 28 August 2026 says Guidelines 2.1 require a welfare officer at a ratio of one full-time equivalent per 120 workers, with a long list of “must” and “must not” statements covering financial support through to grievance handling. That ratio is a scheme rule in the guidelines, not an Orchard Tech target. Confirm the current wording in the Guidelines PDF, because DEWR can amend it.
The same brief notes that because the WWSP is employed or engaged by the Approved Employer, some workers worry that raising a concern could affect their job. That is why DEWR also runs a direct support line, and why Country Liaison Officers and Community Connections sit outside the employer.
Other parts of the welfare system
- DEWR support line: 1800 51 51 31 or palm@dewr.gov.au. Workers can contact DEWR without going through the employer first.
- Country Liaison Officers: appointed by sending-country governments. Not every country has one. They are liaison, not a substitute WWSP.
- Community Connections: a DEWR-funded program delivered with church and diaspora partners, listed on the PALM scheme site, running in every state and territory. Devpolicy records the current contract stage to June 2027 and an Emergency Support Fund for crises.
Current hub alert: bird flu
As at the date of this article, the WWSP hub also carries a bird flu (avian influenza) notice: detections in wild seabirds in South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, with the current risk to people described as low. Workers who feel unwell can use healthdirect (1800 022 222). Treat that notice as dated — check birdflu.gov.au.
For hosts in Victoria and NSW
If PALM workers are on your farm, the Approved Employer’s WWSP still has to reach them. Rosters, transport and accommodation that make fortnightly in-person meetings impossible are a scheme problem, not a paperwork detail. Orchard Tech places labour in Victoria and New South Wales only.
Sources checked 29 August 2026: PALM scheme Welfare and Wellbeing Support Person hub; PALM scheme employer resources (WWSP toolkit and fortnightly meeting templates); Devpolicy, The welfare support system for PALM workers (28 August 2026).
