'Scared' and 'helpless': Rayasi's dream of working in Australia was not what she envisioned
In Australia, Rayasi could earn around five times her usual wage, and planned to use it to support her family back home. She has asked SBS News to blur her image to protect her privacy.
Rayasi was initially excited to come to Australia under the PALM scheme. Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin Rayasi attended a pre-departure orientation in Fiji, but it didn't prepare her for the reality of her new workplace. "When I saw the whole factory, I was scared. The smell, the gas. It's a totally new environment for me." Eager to embrace the opportunity, she quickly adapted and got to work. Rayasi was assigned to the 'stomach section' of the factory, which involves cutting a cow's stomach and removing its contents while high-heat steam is blasted to kill bacteria. But within a few weeks, she'd developed occupational hand dermatitis — common among factory workers — and was given sick leave.
When she returned, she asked to be moved to a different section, believing the wet room environment was contributing to her dermatitis, but her request was denied.
I felt uncared for and disrespected. I felt helpless. Medical issues ignored Six months later, Rayasi started experiencing chronic pain in her right hand — the hand she uses to hold her knife. A medical certificate dated February 2023, seen by SBS News, notes a three-month history of worsening pain in Rayasi's hand and recommends that she be placed on modified duties to avoid repetitive or sustained gripping and pulling. Rayasi claims her employer ignored this advice and refused her requests to be rotated to the lighter-duty packing room, where other PALM workers were assigned.
"I told them I can't keep doing this, my hands hurt. I've got a medical certificate."
SBS Samoan
05/03/2025 09:00 Around that time, Rayasi's labour hire company — the intermediary company that manages her working relationship with the factory — suggested she apply for workers compensation, but she refused, saying it would be a temporary fix. "I knew when I returned, I'd still be doing the same work that was causing me pain." Over the next seven months, she repeatedly told her employer she wanted to resign and move to a different PALM-sponsored job if she couldn't be rotated internally. "He just said if you don't shape up, if you don't perform, you'll get deported," she says of her manager's blunt reply. She also tried contacting the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union, where she was a paying member, but says it didn't get her anywhere.
SBS News contacted the union but did not receive a reply by deadline.
Rayasi says she repeatedly requested to be rotated to another section of the factory to avoid aggravating the chronic pain in her right hand. Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin Meanwhile, the pain in her hand got worse. Finally, feeling she had no other choice, Rayasi walked off the job, immediately invalidating her visa and private medical insurance given she did not have her employer's permission to leave.
"I thought: I can get another job, but I can't get another life; another two hands."
A pattern of exploitation Rayasi is one of more than 7,000 PALM workers who have absconded from the scheme over the past five years. Many have cited poor working conditions, exploitation and abuse — there have also been dozens of fatalities.
Reports of exploitation have also led to investigations by the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman (OFWO). By June 2024, the OFWO had started 228 investigations into PALM scheme-approved employers, and recovered $762,625 on behalf of 1,937 workers.
The PALM scheme employs workers in meat processing, agriculture, aged care and tourism. These workers were pictured at the Sydney Fish Market last year. Source: AAP / Joel Carrett The conditional nature of PALM workers' visas makes them particularly vulnerable. Workers under the scheme, of which there are currently over 30,000, are bound to a single employer and not entitled to initiate a transfer to another employer — otherwise, their visa will be cancelled. (Of the scheme's 494 employers, 102 are labour-hire companies that effectively subcontract workers to other companies.) Transfers are only permitted with the approval of their employer-sponsor or at the discretion of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). Contracts under the scheme can be short-term, lasting up to nine months, or long-term, lasting up to four years. Those fleeing exploitation are forced to either leave the country or stay on illegally, stripped of their rights and with limited pathways to alternative employment. Advocates say this rigidity has created a stream of absconded workers with little understanding of how to navigate leaving an exploitative employer. Leaving also carries shame. Workers have told SBS News they fear they'll be blamed for jeopardising the scheme and disgracing their community.
"It's like you're giving the entire Fijian group a bad reputation," Rayasi says.
SBS News
16/10/2024 08:25 Some participating countries employ country liaison officers (CLOs) who are tasked with helping resolve workplace issues locally, but it's unclear how effective they are. Three absconding workers told SBS News they had contacted the Melbourne-based Fijian country liaison officer, assigned to help PALM workers navigate disputes, but after months, were still unable to get clarity on how to re-engage in the scheme. SBS News contacted the CLO, who refuted the claims, saying he had helped absconded workers to re-engage in the scheme, including by contacting DEWR on their behalf. "Every issue has a process, it doesn't happen overnight. Workers should be patient," he told SBS News. However, many workers say the pathway to re-engagement is confusing and not straightforward. "We don't know which channel to go down, because we'll have a meeting, give our information, there's promises, and then you're still left wondering," says one man who doesn't wish to be identified.
Rayasi says she was hesitant to contact DEWR, fearing instant deportation, but eventually contacted it out of desperation, hoping it would help transfer her to a new employer.
I got very lucky, after trying a few times, a woman picked up and said she could help me. It felt like a weight off her shoulders, initially.
But months dragged on, and deportation letters from the Department of Home Affairs started arriving for other absconders. Eventually, she received an 'intention to cancel' letter, asking her to confirm her employment status.
A spokesperson from the department told SBS News that in 2024, it cancelled 983 offshore visas "due to disengagement from the PALM scheme", noting that these are triggered when an employer reports disengagement. While the Department of Home Affairs administers visas for the scheme, its lead governing agencies are the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and DEWR, with the latter responsible for re-engaging workers in the scheme. Earlier this year, the DEWR placed Rayasi with a new employer in Queensland and re-engaged her in the scheme — a year and a half after she left the meat factory.
She knows she's "one of the lucky ones".
Rayasi says she's lucky to have been moved to a new employer under the scheme. Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin Deceptive practices In a modest church in Hallam, a suburb in Melbourne's south-east, Pastor David Jonassen has set up a de facto shelter for absconded PALM workers, aptly named the House of Refuge. "We've got shower facilities and rooms," Jonassen says. "One time, we had 16 people staying here with nowhere to go [because] they were kicked out of the agency house." In the absence of government support, the pastor says faith groups and community centres have stepped in to help exploited workers seeking refuge, both physically and emotionally.
"It's their faith and the love for their family that keeps them going. So they take all the abuse for their family so that they can put bread on the table."
Pastor David Jonassen (left) and his colleague Lemeki Cabebula help run a shelter for absconded PALM workers in Melbourne. Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin Jonassen bristles at the suggestion that PALM workers abandon jobs to chase better pay, saying not enough scrutiny is placed on the labour hire agencies that brought them to Australia. "Has anyone asked why are they leaving? They're not leaving because they're just looking for a better job. That's not true," he says. "If [the companies] treated them right and honoured the conditions that [they] contracted them for, they're not going to leave." Lemeki Cabebula, who works alongside Jonassen, previously worked in labour-hire recruitment and says deceptive practices, such as contract changes on arrival, are commonplace. Several of the absconded workers now under the care of the House of Refuge allege their contract conditions were not honoured once they arrived in Australia.
"One man was a qualified electrician running his own company in Fiji, and was told he'd be doing the same trade here. His job in the scheme … was catching chickens," Cabebula says.
Lemeki Cabebula says he witnessed deceptive practices firsthand while he was working for a labour hire company. Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin Others say they weren't fully informed about the job they agreed to. One worker who lost a finger while working at a Melbourne abattoir told SBS News she didn't feel properly trained to use the machinery. After a period of reprieve on WorkCover, she was expected to return to meatwork, which she found traumatic.
"I started doing packing instead but I couldn't even look at my hand," she says.
But I had no choice; four years I'm locked in, and I want to be able to help my kids back home. She has since contacted the PALM scheme to try to change the industry her visa is tied to.
Without the ability to apply for other work legally, many ex-PALM workers turn to cash-in-hand jobs, leaving them vulnerable to new forms of exploitation.
Absconded workers are not entitled to stay in the country or apply for other jobs, which leaves them vulnerable. (Pictured: a Pasifika woman at a community event.) Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin Inequitable rights Under the scheme, PALM workers are also not eligible for Medicare, and those who abscond forfeit the private health insurance provided as part of their employment contracts. A 2023 poll conducted by The Australia Institute found that seven in 10 Australians (68 per cent) agree that PALM visa holders should have access to Medicare while working in Australia. Even those still in the scheme have struggled to navigate Australia's largely digital healthcare system. Ben Miok, 31, a PALM worker from Papua New Guinea (PNG), recalls his housemate being taken to the local hospital, but being told upfront payment was needed before they would admit him.
He had not set up his digital insurance card and had never been issued a physical one.
Ben Miok is still employed under the PALM scheme and says he has witnessed fellow workers struggle to access medical help. Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin Linda Koerner, who helps run Melbourne's PNG Wantoks Group, remembers the workers calling her for help. "If you are coming from a country like PNG, where you don't have computers and all this, it's very difficult to understand," she says of the lack of digital know-how. When she later raised the issue with someone from NIB — the insurance company contracted to provide private health cover to PALM workers — they told her they would contact the hospital to address future issues, but she never heard back. "They have private health insurance, but how much do they really know how to use this?" Koerner says. In March, the federal government announced it would introduce training for PALM workers in language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills through the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program.
Advocates say it's a step forward, but more needs to be done.
The PALM scheme recruits workers for unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled positions. (Pictured: PALM workers at a Pasifika community event in Melbourne). Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin A second chance As part of the Coalition's election campaign, Opposition leader Peter Dutton has pledged to review the PALM scheme and reintroduce a dedicated agriculture visa, previously cancelled by the Labor government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Other PALM scheme-targeted reforms introduced by the government since its election in 2022 have included guaranteed minimum work hours and weekly take-home pay for Pacific workers. The Coalition has also indicated it would review and potentially scrap the minimum hours introduced by Labor.
A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said the disengagement rate within the scheme has declined under the Albanese government, dropping from 10 per cent in 2020-21 to 5 per cent in 2023-24.
Shortly after the government was elected in 2022, Foreign Minister Penny Wong (pictured) travelled to Fiji to meet with PALM workers planning to take part in the scheme. Source: Getty / Pita Simpson However, the inability of workers to change employers without formal approval within the scheme remains. It's a concern for those with exploitative employers, and those without. One man in his 20s, who asked not to be identified, was recently offered a coveted extension with his employer. He says he would never abscond, but stays up at night thinking about the scheme's lack of choice. "I can't work in any other industry but meat; if not, we have to go back home," he says.
He had dreamed of becoming a nurse in Fiji, but the pay doesn't compare to what he earns in Australia.
I'm only human. Of course, I wonder if I'll ever do anything else but cut meat.
Recently, the PALM scheme expanded beyond manual labour into industries including aged care; however, switching between sectors for current participants is not straightforward.
PALM workers have told SBS News they want greater flexibility to change jobs under the scheme. Source: SBS News / Mridula Amin Now in Queensland, Rayasi says she is thankful to be working in the scheme with a new employer after a tumultuous year. She hopes others like her get a second chance.
"We want to contribute to this country, and better our lives too, but we also want dignity and respect."
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The Advertiser
19-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Vulnerable migrants having abortions due to visa fears
Migrant women working in rural Australia are carrying unplanned pregnancies, having unwanted abortions or even giving their babies to authorities due to fear, poverty and poor healthcare coverage. This is the "unseen population" that NSW general practitioner Trudi Beck wants every Australian to know about. Dr Beck, a GP obstetrician from Wagga Wagga, told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that she routinely sees pregnant Pacific Islander workers, who are not entitled to free or subsidised healthcare in Australia. The vast majority of those women opted for an abortion, though it didn't always appear to be their preference, Dr Beck said. The women, who are usually working under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, fear they will breach their visa conditions if they cannot work due to pregnancy. "I find it really difficult to provide termination services for a woman where that's not her deeply-held desire ... that's the crux of the matter for me," Dr Beck told the inquiry sitting in Griffith on Thursday, in sometimes emotional evidence. "If this woman was in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby. "That is just such an ethics and values clash for me and that's what makes me want to reach out to people to say: can we make this better?" Some women who could not access abortion services in time gave birth in their home countries while on annual leave, Dr Beck said. The inquiry has been told PALM workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their visa does not allow them to change employers, forcing some to abscond. Many disengaged workers have settled in the NSW Riverina, where they live in hiding, Leeton Multicultural Support Group chairman Paul Maytom said. Mr Maytom said 10 pregnant migrants have approached the organisation for help, including one woman who gave her prematurely-born baby to authorities after her older child was also taken in as a ward of the state. "She said, 'I didn't know what to do because I have no money, so I agreed to it, but I want my babies back', Mr Maytom said. "That's tough." Griffith domestic violence service Links For Women supported 47 female PALM workers in 2023-24. The women were assaulted by either male employers or their co-workers, forcing them to flee, manager Madeleine Rossiter said. It's estimated more than 40,000 people are enslaved across the nation, subject to violence, threats, punishing hours, low pay, poor housing and restricted movements. More than 16,000 are believed to be trapped in modern slavery in NSW, one of the few states that does not regulate the hire companies central to migrant recruitment. The inquiry continues. Reports of modern slavery can be made to 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 333 66) Migrant women working in rural Australia are carrying unplanned pregnancies, having unwanted abortions or even giving their babies to authorities due to fear, poverty and poor healthcare coverage. This is the "unseen population" that NSW general practitioner Trudi Beck wants every Australian to know about. Dr Beck, a GP obstetrician from Wagga Wagga, told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that she routinely sees pregnant Pacific Islander workers, who are not entitled to free or subsidised healthcare in Australia. The vast majority of those women opted for an abortion, though it didn't always appear to be their preference, Dr Beck said. The women, who are usually working under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, fear they will breach their visa conditions if they cannot work due to pregnancy. "I find it really difficult to provide termination services for a woman where that's not her deeply-held desire ... that's the crux of the matter for me," Dr Beck told the inquiry sitting in Griffith on Thursday, in sometimes emotional evidence. "If this woman was in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby. "That is just such an ethics and values clash for me and that's what makes me want to reach out to people to say: can we make this better?" Some women who could not access abortion services in time gave birth in their home countries while on annual leave, Dr Beck said. The inquiry has been told PALM workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their visa does not allow them to change employers, forcing some to abscond. Many disengaged workers have settled in the NSW Riverina, where they live in hiding, Leeton Multicultural Support Group chairman Paul Maytom said. Mr Maytom said 10 pregnant migrants have approached the organisation for help, including one woman who gave her prematurely-born baby to authorities after her older child was also taken in as a ward of the state. "She said, 'I didn't know what to do because I have no money, so I agreed to it, but I want my babies back', Mr Maytom said. "That's tough." Griffith domestic violence service Links For Women supported 47 female PALM workers in 2023-24. The women were assaulted by either male employers or their co-workers, forcing them to flee, manager Madeleine Rossiter said. It's estimated more than 40,000 people are enslaved across the nation, subject to violence, threats, punishing hours, low pay, poor housing and restricted movements. More than 16,000 are believed to be trapped in modern slavery in NSW, one of the few states that does not regulate the hire companies central to migrant recruitment. The inquiry continues. Reports of modern slavery can be made to 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 333 66) Migrant women working in rural Australia are carrying unplanned pregnancies, having unwanted abortions or even giving their babies to authorities due to fear, poverty and poor healthcare coverage. This is the "unseen population" that NSW general practitioner Trudi Beck wants every Australian to know about. Dr Beck, a GP obstetrician from Wagga Wagga, told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that she routinely sees pregnant Pacific Islander workers, who are not entitled to free or subsidised healthcare in Australia. The vast majority of those women opted for an abortion, though it didn't always appear to be their preference, Dr Beck said. The women, who are usually working under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, fear they will breach their visa conditions if they cannot work due to pregnancy. "I find it really difficult to provide termination services for a woman where that's not her deeply-held desire ... that's the crux of the matter for me," Dr Beck told the inquiry sitting in Griffith on Thursday, in sometimes emotional evidence. "If this woman was in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby. "That is just such an ethics and values clash for me and that's what makes me want to reach out to people to say: can we make this better?" Some women who could not access abortion services in time gave birth in their home countries while on annual leave, Dr Beck said. The inquiry has been told PALM workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their visa does not allow them to change employers, forcing some to abscond. Many disengaged workers have settled in the NSW Riverina, where they live in hiding, Leeton Multicultural Support Group chairman Paul Maytom said. Mr Maytom said 10 pregnant migrants have approached the organisation for help, including one woman who gave her prematurely-born baby to authorities after her older child was also taken in as a ward of the state. "She said, 'I didn't know what to do because I have no money, so I agreed to it, but I want my babies back', Mr Maytom said. "That's tough." Griffith domestic violence service Links For Women supported 47 female PALM workers in 2023-24. The women were assaulted by either male employers or their co-workers, forcing them to flee, manager Madeleine Rossiter said. It's estimated more than 40,000 people are enslaved across the nation, subject to violence, threats, punishing hours, low pay, poor housing and restricted movements. More than 16,000 are believed to be trapped in modern slavery in NSW, one of the few states that does not regulate the hire companies central to migrant recruitment. The inquiry continues. Reports of modern slavery can be made to 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 333 66) Migrant women working in rural Australia are carrying unplanned pregnancies, having unwanted abortions or even giving their babies to authorities due to fear, poverty and poor healthcare coverage. This is the "unseen population" that NSW general practitioner Trudi Beck wants every Australian to know about. Dr Beck, a GP obstetrician from Wagga Wagga, told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that she routinely sees pregnant Pacific Islander workers, who are not entitled to free or subsidised healthcare in Australia. The vast majority of those women opted for an abortion, though it didn't always appear to be their preference, Dr Beck said. The women, who are usually working under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, fear they will breach their visa conditions if they cannot work due to pregnancy. "I find it really difficult to provide termination services for a woman where that's not her deeply-held desire ... that's the crux of the matter for me," Dr Beck told the inquiry sitting in Griffith on Thursday, in sometimes emotional evidence. "If this woman was in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby. "That is just such an ethics and values clash for me and that's what makes me want to reach out to people to say: can we make this better?" Some women who could not access abortion services in time gave birth in their home countries while on annual leave, Dr Beck said. The inquiry has been told PALM workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their visa does not allow them to change employers, forcing some to abscond. Many disengaged workers have settled in the NSW Riverina, where they live in hiding, Leeton Multicultural Support Group chairman Paul Maytom said. Mr Maytom said 10 pregnant migrants have approached the organisation for help, including one woman who gave her prematurely-born baby to authorities after her older child was also taken in as a ward of the state. "She said, 'I didn't know what to do because I have no money, so I agreed to it, but I want my babies back', Mr Maytom said. "That's tough." Griffith domestic violence service Links For Women supported 47 female PALM workers in 2023-24. The women were assaulted by either male employers or their co-workers, forcing them to flee, manager Madeleine Rossiter said. It's estimated more than 40,000 people are enslaved across the nation, subject to violence, threats, punishing hours, low pay, poor housing and restricted movements. More than 16,000 are believed to be trapped in modern slavery in NSW, one of the few states that does not regulate the hire companies central to migrant recruitment. The inquiry continues. Reports of modern slavery can be made to 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 333 66)
SBS Australia
16-06-2025
- SBS Australia
Sport pathway to social connection for people with disability
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" So, I went down and tried with cricket and yeah, it was very, after having so much rejection, it was very weird to walk into a place. It was very accepting. And then to look around and realise that there was people with all different abilities and disabilities. They were all there playing sport. And once you hopped in the chair, no one really saw the chair. You were just people playing sport." More than 1 in 5 Australians have disability - which accounts for around 5.5 million people. Sporting Wheelies Chief Operating Officer, Dane Cross says only a relatively small number of people with disability currently play sport, despite most having an interest in becoming involved. "25 per cent of people with disability currently participate in sports, so one in four. But what we also know is three in four or 75 per cent want to participate, but so there's a gap there in I guess the sporting environment is that people want to play but currently face barriers and are unable to play." He says the cost of adaptive equipment like wheelchairs and other supports can be prohibitive, and many clubs and community sports organisations aren't well equipped to make sports accessible. "What we do know is that there aren't currently enough opportunities for people with disability to be participating in sport. Currently, the sporting environment is not entirely inclusive and so mainstream sports are not that suitable for all people." According the Mr Cross it's not just physical barriers that dissuade people with disability from becoming involved in sports. "There's actually a gap in the attitudes and the stereotypes that exist in the space where people with disability aren't necessarily seen as athletes. And so attitudes, community attitudes, community sports club attitudes are required to change, to adapt, to enable more people to participate." Sport4All is another organisation working to shift public perception around disability and sport, and facilitate more inclusive environments. The organisation works with community sport clubs and schools to provide support, training and practical tools to make sport more welcoming. Sport4All National Manager Carl Partridge says a significant part of his organisation's work is tackling a lack of understanding around the many forms disability can take. "You've got to remember that only a relatively small proportion of people have a disability that you can see. But it comes into things like financial limitations, community attitudes, many programs are designed, aren't really designed with inclusion in minds so people are unintentionally excluded." Mr Partridge says more programs are needed to bridge the gap that currently exists between people with disability who want to participate in sport, and those who are currently involved in sports. He says through making sports more welcoming, programs like Sport4All and Sporting Wheelies are showing just how diverse the benefits of sport can be. "Well, I think the benefits are so much more than just the physical health benefits. I think people think about sports physically, but for people with disability, there's other layers to as well. It's a gateway to social connection. It builds confidence, independence, but it also builds that massive sense of belonging." A 2019 study by Paralympics Australia found one in four people with disability identify social interaction as one of the top two benefits of getting involved in sport. This is true for Mr Stephenson, who is now involved in cricket, AFL and basketball through Sporting Wheelies. He says through sport, he's rediscovered a sense of purpose, belonging, and community."You find that new social network. I think that's really important for mental health as well. Having that community there. It's reason to keep engaged in living, which is good. Everyone says I'm happy, so that's good."
SBS Australia
04-06-2025
- SBS Australia
'We both did it': How the winner of Alone Australia season 3 survived for 76 days in the wild
Season three was the toughest and longest season of Alone Australia so far. Source: SBS News / Narelle Portanier Shay Williamson had been preparing for Alone Australia for years before the show even existed. The 30-year-old New Zealander has been possum trapping since he was 16 and has spent much of his adult life living off the land, including extended stretches in remote bushland, where he has gained a deep understanding of nature. Now, after 76 days alone in the untamed wilderness of Tasmania's West Coast Range, he has been revealed as the winner of Alone Australia season three . Speaking to SBS News ahead of the finale, Shay says he had been confident in his survival abilities going into the show but was concerned about the possibility of losing too much weight and being forced out early. "I knew I'd give it a good crack and I knew I was going to see it through to the end … I wasn't going to leave on my own terms, I was going to be there until someone told me I wasn't allowed to be there anymore," Shay says. But I was a little bit nervous, [there's] no guarantees in this sort of thing. I knew I wouldn't necessarily get the ending that I was after. Shay's fear nearly became a reality. In the second part of the double-episode finale, the medical team expressed concern he had lost a quarter of his body weight. They warned him he would need to submit to more frequent medical checks — but ultimately decided he was healthy enough to stay. This would turn out to be Shay's saving grace, with runner-up Muzza being withdrawn due to medical concerns shortly after. On the 76th day, Shay was named the winner, with his wife Abby surprising him at his campsite to tell him the news. In their emotional reunion, he says he felt as though his wife — who had been taking care of their two young daughters at home —had done the challenge with him as a team. "We both did it," he says. "From day one, I'd been saying I want to come home with that money, no matter how long it takes, no matter how difficult it gets … $250,000 is life-changing for our family." The West Coast Range is not for the faint of heart. Over two and a half months in cold, dark and wet conditions, Shay battled extreme elements, including the heaviest monthly rainfall in the area in seven years and flooding, which forced him to relocate his shelter. He survived predominantly on eel, fish and plants — even eating bowls of worms when he had no other option. When cooked with salt, he says the worms "tasted like beef chow mein". It wasn't until his 67th day in the wilderness that he managed to catch a pademelon — a wallaby-like marsupial — which provided him sustenance leading into the final days of the competition. But throughout all the challenges and merciless conditions, Shay's positive and happy-go-lucky attitude shone through, and he never lost sight of his goals and motivation. During his time in Tasmania, he regularly spoke about his wife and their two young daughters, and the difference the cash prize would have on their lives. Before Alone Australia, Shay had weathered long stints in the bush alone in his native New Zealand, living off nature. He believes this is what made him a prime contestant for the hit show and prompted an earlier application for the United States version. "I've been doing that sort of thing [since] before I even knew about Alone," Shay says. "That's just sort of what I enjoy, going in the bush without food for a bit and seeing what I can gather up — so most of my preparation has been just working in the bush and doing that as my hobby." When I found out about the show, it was like … this is perfect. For the uninitiated, Alone Australia follows 10 participants as they test their solo survival skills and resilience in the wild, attempting to outlast each other for the chance to win $250,000. The survivalists are dropped at separate locations and are allowed to bring 10 items — such as clothes, a first aid kit, and tools — to help them stay safe and secure food, water and shelter. They have no contact with one another and do not interact with any other humans during the competition, except for medical checks. The last person standing wins. Shay says his years of experience as a professional possum trapper and nature-based lifestyle — he and his family often cook wild-caught meat and foraged food — equipped him with the knowledge and practical skills to meet the physical challenges of Alone. But he says the mental challenge was something he couldn't have prepared for. "I think the biggest struggle was not knowing when it would end because you just don't know," he says. "You just don't know how well anyone else is doing … that was probably the hardest thing … and potentially being away for a really, really long time and then not getting the win and coming home and being depleted and a bit of a burden on the family. "That was my biggest fear." Reflecting on his time in the Tasmanian wilderness, Shay says he feels more connected to nature than ever before. He describes a gradual process of attuning to nature and developing a feel for its patterns, for example, knowing whether rising water would be a problem or where he might find food. "By the end of it, I really felt like I was quite in tune and almost knew where a fish was, or what was going to happen around me," he says. I guess it's the spiritual or instinctual connection you get in nature when you're living in it all the time. Since filming wrapped up, Shay has been able to connect with other contestants and says many of them expressed a similar sentiment. "No matter what the outcome is, it's definitely life-changing. "And talking to the other nine [contestants], I think everyone's had a pretty positive experience and gained a new perspective on their lives." Alone Australia: The Reunion premieres on Wednesday 4 June at 9.30pm on SBS On Demand and Wednesday 11 June at 7.30pm on SBS.
