Women Deliver 2026: High-Level Ministerial and Parliamentary Forum:
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Driving Equality, Ensuring Justice
On 27 April 2026, parliamentarians and ministers from across Australia, Asia and the Pacific gathered in Melbourne for the High-Level Parliamentary Forum, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Driving Equality, Ensuring Justice, held as a pre-conference event for Women Deliver 2026. Co-hosted by the Australian Parliamentary Friends of Population and Development and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), the Forum reaffirmed sexual and reproductive health and rights as fundamental to gender equality, human rights and sustainable development. Featuring senior political leaders, ministers and representatives from global organisations including UNFPA and IPPF, participants from 19 countries exchanged experiences and identified practical policy solutions to strengthen health systems, advance gender equality and address gender-based violence. The outcomes of the Forum are captured in the report below.
Addressing the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Pacific and Timorese Labour Migrants in Australia
Below is a collection of resources that highlight the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) needs of Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme participants in Australia. These materials draw on research and lived experience and offer insights into how parliamentarians can engage to promote and protect the rights and wellbeing of PALM workers.
Reports
Kanan L, 2025, “It’s not illegal to be pregnant”: Research report on reproductive justice and the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, Development Policy Centre, Australian National University. Research brief and full report.
Kanan L and Putt J, 2023, Safety and wellbeing in Australia’s Pacific labour mobility scheme, Research Report, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University.
True Relationships and Reproductive Health, 2024, Report on the PALM Worker Wellness Event: Mareeba, Queensland, 20-21 July 2024.
International Planned Parenthood Federation, 2025, Niu Vaka Gap Analysis Report, April 2025.
Blogs
Kanan L, 2025, Pregnancy, parenting and the PALM scheme, Canberra: Development Policy Centre, Australian National University.
Kanan L, Moloney K, Ratu S and Kaltapang K, 2024, Pacific labour mobility: let’s talk about sex, Canberra: Development Policy Centre, Australian National University.
Seymour M and Vaccher S, 2025, Sexual health screening for PALM workers, Canberra: Development Policy Centre, Australian National University.
Journal articles
Fox, H., Mude, W., Vaughan, G., Preston, R., O’Mullan, C., & Gu, Z., 2025, Public health policy for temporary seasonal workers with chronic hepatitis B in high‐income countries: A comparative analysis. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 36(2), e928.
Seymour M, O’Connor S, Hou L, Tafa S, Tata S, Smoll N, Vaccher S, Preston-Thomas A, Moodley N, 2025, Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and positive treponemal serology in Solomon Islands guest workers in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 49(3):100241.
Web pages
Statement on Reproductive Health and Rights for PALM Scheme Workers, Australian Women’s Health Alliance, 2025
Supporting PALM scheme workers in NSW, Sexual Health Info Link (New South Wales Health)
https://www.shil.nsw.gov.au/palm-scheme
Improving Health Outcomes for Pacific Island Seasonal Workers in Regional Queensland, Central Queensland University