Guests: Hillary Manning, Matt Dando, Paul Maytom, and Michael Kidd
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Ken Dachi
Ken Dachi works for ‘Welcoming Australia’ a non-government, philanthropic organisation aimed at enhancing social cohesion, and the ethos of a unified nation.
Welcoming Australia exists to cultivate a culture of Welcome - in Cities, Sporting Clubs, Universities and Workplaces.
Ken’s focus is on Workplaces. He is promoting successful strategies featured in employer and employee relationships.
Ken spoke of his involvement in the PALM Scheme (Pacific Australia Labour Mobility).
PALM workers come from the Pacific Islands and Timor Leste to work in Australian. During November 2015 more than 32000 such workers were recorded working in Australia for 530 employers. They performed important roles in agriculture and health care in Australia and were able to send money back to their homes for their families.
This scheme sounds like a win-win situation.
However, a PALM worker can arrive in Australian employment that is not satisfactory. If a frustrated PALM worker leaves their employer, they become an illegal, undocumented refugee. They become a disengaged worker. They can only seek work for cash and have no rites for fair treatment, or Medicare support.
Ken showed us two videos to exemplify predicaments of disengaged workers.
Video 1 A PALM worker was not receiving enough money in Queensland. Left that situation and came to Leeton seeking better conditions. While working here in Leeton she was badly injured. She suffered for days until Paul Maytom found out about her and arranged for medical treatment.
PALM Workers need to be able to leave their employment legally.
There are 1500 disengaged workers in our Leeton District.
Video 2 Showed the plight of a pregnant disengaged worker. Again Paul Maytom was able to help her.
But children born to disengaged workers have no visa or Birth Certificate. They have no access to Medicare or to schooling. Eleven such children live in our Leeton district.
Chris Evans, the Antislavery Commissioner, is aware of the plight of the disengaged workers.
25 Mayors, including George Western, are also working on advocacy.
WHAT LEETON ROTARY CAN DO
Engage with the issue / Build an understanding / Who is feeding Australia?
Speak to your representatives / Councillors / MPs / Leader of the Opposition / What actions are being taken?
Speak with Community Member / Facebook / What kind of community do we want?
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Sergeant - Dan
Dan the Man was Sargeant. He gave Graeme (I remember him) Kruger, George, Laurie, Greg and Brian a hard time. Then he charged each of us $2 for a fridge magnet that he made himself.
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Market Day
As usual, Laurie had the Market Day BBQ well organised. We just needed more customers! The heat kept other stalls and customers away.
A rare moment when most of us were busy.
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The New Boss
The new CEO of a company comes into work determined to turn things around. Trying to prove himself to his new employees he looks around the office and sees a guy leaning against a wall doing nothing. He approaches the guy and asks him, "What do you think you're doing?" The man replies, "I'm just killing time, waiting to get paid." The CEO is furious, "What do you make a week?" The man tells him, "About $200 a week." The CEO pulls out his wallet and hands the man $400 and says, "There's your two weeks, now get out of here!" After the man leaves, he turns to his employees and asks, "What do you think about that?" One of the employees stands up and says, "I think he just got the largest tip he's ever gotten on a single pizza."
