A migrant farm worker was pressured by his boss to quit and return to his home country after getting a $700 hospital bill for a bleeding nose, only to be later diagnosed with a brain tumour.

The young man's story is one example of the "dire" living and workplace conditions faced by seasonal workers in rural areas, according to a report by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.

Workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme were particularly vulnerable to high housing costs and poor living standards because their visa did not allow them to change employers or locations.

PALM workers in three states reported living in cramped and expensive rooms, cabins or caravan parks provided by labour hire companies, leading to poor wellbeing and rapid spread of illn

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