This report examines the difficult conditions facing pregnant women in Australia. It focuses on how immigration status, unfair work practices, and gaps in employment law create risks for these women.

本報告研究了澳洲孕婦面臨的艱難處境，重點分析移民身份、不公平的工作慣例以及就業法的漏洞如何為這些女性造成風險。

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme helps Pacific Island nations earn money, but it has also created a group of vulnerable workers. Many of these individuals are 'disengaged' workers who operate outside formal visa rules. Consequently, they lose access to Medicare and official maternity support. Because most participants cannot get visas for their families, many are separated from their spouses and children. This has led to an informal childcare system that is unregulated and puts a heavy financial burden on parents.

太平洋澳洲勞動力流動（PALM）計畫幫助太平洋島國賺錢，但也造成了一群弱勢工人。許多這些人是「脫離系統」的工人，在正式簽證規則之外運作。結果，他們失去了使用 Medicare 和官方孕產支援的權利。因為大多數參與者無法為家人申請簽證，許多人都與配偶和孩子分開。這導致了一個不受監管的非正式兒童照顧系統，令父母承受沉重的經濟負擔。

Healthcare providers in regional areas have noted that non-citizen workers often delay prenatal care due to financial stress. Because reproductive services are so expensive, some women avoid medical help entirely. Furthermore, the combination of unstable jobs and social isolation increases the risk of domestic violence. Victims often feel they must choose between staying in an abusive relationship or facing total poverty because they lack legal residency.

地區性的醫療服務提供者注意到，非公民工人往往因為經濟壓力而延遲產前檢查。由於生育服務非常昂貴，有些女性完全避免尋求醫療幫助。此外，不穩定工作與社交孤立的結合，增加了家庭暴力的風險。受害者往往覺得自己必須在忍受虐待關係或面臨完全赤貧之間做出選擇，因為他們缺乏合法居留權。

At the same time, there is a legal problem within the National Employment Standards (NES) for professional workers. Currently, employees must work for twelve months before they are guaranteed a return to their job after maternity leave. This creates a period of risk for women who become pregnant shortly after starting a new job. For example, a former senior researcher at ANROWS faced a legal battle when the organization claimed that its internal policies were not binding contracts. Legal experts emphasize that Australia is unusual because it requires a longer period of service than the length of a pregnancy, which can lead to discrimination.

與此同時，專業人員的國家就業標準（NES）中存在法律問題。目前，僱員必須工作滿十二個月，才能保證在產假後返回原職。這為那些在入職後不久便懷孕的女性創造了一段風險期。例如，一位前 ANROWS 高級研究員在面臨法律爭議時，該機構聲稱其內部政策並非具有約束力的合約。法律專家強調，澳洲的情況很特殊，因為其要求的服務年限比懷孕週期更長，這可能會導致歧視。

In summary, there are two main types of risk: migrant workers are almost completely invisible to the system, while domestic employees face strict legal rules that limit their job security.

總結來說，主要有兩類風險：移民工人在系統中幾乎完全不可見，而本地員工則面臨限制工作保障的嚴格法律條款。