Robert Anita’s journey from Solomon Islands to leading roles at JBS Australia inspires Pacific Islanders in PALM scheme
Hard work and determination can get you places in life, ask Robert Anita a Solomon Islands worker who has achieved commendation and achievements since going to work in Australia. Mr. Anita recently gave a motivational talk to candidates attending a fitness and interview session for the Work Ready Pool of the Labour Mobility Unit. Since leaving the Solomon Islands for Australia in April 2022, Mr. Anita has found himself in a number of roles in the meat industry, most recently as leading sawman at the JBS meat plant in Cobram, Victoria, Australia.
JBS Foods is one of the world’s leading meat producers, with operations in the United States, Australia and Canada. Robert Anita was brought to Australia by Labour Solutions Australia (LSA), a labour hire company to initially work in the JBS Brooklyn processing plant in Victoria. Mr. Anita’s eagerness to excel in his new work environment soon became evident when three months into training he was awarded ‘the most determined worker’ in a plant of more than 2000 “From that award it encouraged me to continue and strive for more in whatever I do,” Mr. Anita remarked.
In his 5 th month with the company, he was tasked with operating a robotic machine used in meat processing at the Brooklyn plant, a significant feat for a Pacific Islands worker since that job has been reserved mostly for Asian and Australian workers. When he completed his six months’ probation, Robert Anita had completed and passed 38 task descriptions that were given to him. The tasks varied from cleaning floors to sawman and operating the robotic machine. Nine months into his work with JBS, the company decided to shift him from a labour hire worker to a full-time employee of the company.
In early 2023, Mr. Anita and 13 other Solomon Islanders were sent to Cobram, Victoria to assist in the reopening of the Cobram JBS Plant. The facility was closed in 2017 and was reopened with labour sourced from the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme. Since then, up to 200 Solomon Islands workers are now working at the Cobram Plant. They are mostly skilled workers.nMr. Anita said the majority of workers at the Cobram plant were Solomon Islanders. “I would say 70-80 percent of workers are Solomon Islanders, with the rest divided between Asians, Australians and other Islanders,” he added. He also said Solomon Islanders were holding on to high paying jobs such as supervisors, quality officers, health and safety officers and such. Work in Australia is tough, and Mr. Anita is urging family members of PALM workers to provide as much support as they can. “We sacrifice a lot for families, waking up at 3am to get to work and returning in the evenings, therefore we need all the support we can get from them,” he added. Mr. Anita is among 7000 Solomon Islanders who have had the opportunity to work in Australia under the PALM scheme.
The PALM scheme has brought a lot of economic benefits to Solomon Islands over the years. In 2023, workers sent home around SBD247 million in remittances.
The positive impacts of this can be seen across the country, with returning workers using their savings to build new family homes, pay school fees and start local businesses.
MFAET Press Release
