A tiny beachside community in northern NSW says it is “under siege” after its caravan park began housing hundreds of migrant farm workers, with residents claiming they are “outnumbered three-to-one” and “living in fear” amid a rise in violent incidents and sexual harassment.
On Friday, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly dragged into the bushes and sexually assaulted near Arrawarra Beach, about 30 kilometres north of Coffs Harbour, by a man understood to be one of the workers brought to Australia under the federal government’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
The Arrawarra Holiday Park is operated by Mojosurf, which also runs a backpacker accommodation and surf school at the same location. Mojosurf began housing PALM workers during Covid, with as many as 400 staying at the site at one time.
“It’s been ongoing trouble — fights, drunkenness, trespassing, breaking into people’s homes,” said a spokesman for the Little Arrawarra community action group.
“We are outnumbered probably three-to-one by the labour workers. It’s like the Wild West, these big six-foot-three Pacific Islander blokes on this rampage. It’s supposed to be a dry site, it’s absolutely not. They are, for want of a better word, s**tfaced most of the time.”
The workers, from countries including Samoa, Timor-Leste and Kiribati, are driven in and out of the isolated community by bus each day to pick fruit on nearby farms for three employers — berry giant Costa Group, and two labour hire firms.
“This is a deeply upsetting event for the family and for all those living in the community,” a Costa Group spokeswoman said. “As this matter is now before the courts, it is inappropriate for Costa to comment.”
The labour hire firms have been contacted for comment.
Locals say they have been warning about the anti-social behaviour of the “unruly” and aggressive workers for months, citing ongoing incidents of trespassing, public intoxication, break and enters, lewd acts, dangerous driving, and harassment of women and girls in the town and on the beach.
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The coastal paradise — which was once considered a hidden gem with pristine surf, kangaroos, and an easygoing vibe — is now also littered with rubbish, they claim.
But locals say their concerns have been ignored at all levels — by the companies involved, the park operators, local council and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), which administers the PALM scheme.
“Reckless is the most polite word you can call it,” the spokesperson said.
“We’re a tiny community 25 minutes north of Coffs Harbour. It’s a cul-de-sac — one road in, one road out, 60 homes, approximately 120 residents. [The holiday park] for years has been a dangerous site, it’s 20 minutes before police can get here. Anything you can possibly think could happen has happened. It’s wild the things you see.”
In July, two dozen homeowners wrote to Coffs Harbour mayor Paul Amos about their concerns. “It has become an unsafe place to live,” Tony Wilkins wrote.
“As recently as last weekend my 13-year-old daughter can no longer go to the beach on her own. She has been followed, watched and tried to be spoken to by the older male fruit pickers living in the park. We will call the police next time, because there will be a next time.”
The Little Arrawarra spokesperson said residents, some of whom had installed seven-foot-high fences and security systems, had “given ample warning to every possible department, every possible agency” but had been brushed off because “we’re out of sight, out of mind”.
“We can’t fight billion-dollar berry conglomerates,” the spokesperson said.
The alleged sexual assault on Friday comes just a week after a young girl was allegedly chased into a toilet cubicle by a man she believed to be affected by alcohol.
The spokesman said it was irresponsible for Mojosurf to continue operating the backpacker accommodation alongside hundreds of farm workers.
“These people are unsupervised, there’s no security, you’ve put them in a super-isolated location and you’ve put them next to these scantily clad backpackers,” they said.
“We’ve told you the next step was sexual assault.”
Mojosurf did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this year, the operator of the accommodation hit back at locals, accusing them of making up “lies and fabrication” and being prejudiced against the Pacific Islander workers.
“It’s got nothing to do with skin tone when we’re talking about serious crime, talking about (alleged) rapes, break and enters, hit and runs,” the Little Arrawarra spokesperson said.
“We’re obviously not pointing the finger at all of the workers, that would be inappropriate. There are some lovely workers, but I can tell you it is a small percentage.”
According to residents, when they raised their concerns with DEWR, officials were more concerned about the “health and wellbeing of our Pacific Islander workers” but would not answer questions about the workers being “the ones causing the problems”.
“We’ve been warning them,” the spokesperson said.
“We’re only aware of what becomes public. It’s worse than we know. It’s like a massive cover-up. This government agency is completely aware of everything that’s going on, but they stonewall and ignore your questions.”
A DEWR spokesperson said, “As this is an ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate for the department to comment. Any members of the public with information regarding the incident should contact NSW Police.”
Coffs Harbour state MP Gurmesh Singh, who attended a heated meeting between local community members, the caravan park operators and Costa Group in March, expressed his condolences to the alleged victim.
“Ultimately the tragedy which [allegedly] occurred on the weekend is a life-changing event for everybody involved and I wish for a speedy recovery for her,” he told news.com.au.
“We’ve encouraged residents there every time they feel there are issues to raise them with the local police. My understanding is the local police have been very responsive to that suburb.”
The Nationals MP said the long-term future of the caravan park “is a matter for council to determine, but every resident of any electorate has a right to live in peace and safety”.
Asked if he would like to see the workers moved out of the park, Mr Singh said, “The Palm Scheme is a scheme that’s designed to bring workers from overseas to help on Australian farms. Ideally that accommodation is better served on farms but the zoning in the Coffs electorate doesn’t allow for that, and that’s something council needs to consider.”
A spokesperson for the City of Coffs Harbour said, “The alleged assault is a matter for NSW Police. The city has and will continue to diligently investigate and action all matters within its remit.”
NSW Police confirmed on Tuesday that officers attached to the Coffs/Clarence Police District commenced an investigation after reports a 17-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted at Arrawarra Beach at about 7.30pm on Friday.
“Following extensive inquiries, a 34-year-old man was arrested at an Arrawarra property about 5pm on Sunday,” a spokeswoman said.
“He was taken to Coffs Harbour Police Station and charged with sexual intercourse without consent. The man was refused bail to appear at Coffs Harbour Local Court today.”
The DEWR website says the PALM scheme “helps to fill labour gaps in rural and regional Australia and agriculture nationally by offering employers access to a pool of reliable, productive workers”.
“It also allows Pacific and Timor-Leste workers to take up jobs in Australia, develop their skills and send income home to support their families and communities,” it says.