A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is an agreement between the Australian Government and a designated area. It provides flexibility for states, territories or regions to respond to their unique economic and labour market conditions through an agreement-based framework.
The Great South Coast (GSC) region has negotiated a DAMA that includes occupations and conditions that will assist our region address our most acute labour shortages. Under the DAMA framework, employers in the GSC experiencing skills and labour shortages in those industries can apply for endorsement to enter into a DAMA labour agreement. This enables them to sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers with more flexible requirements than are available via the standard skilled visa programs.
DAMAs ensure employers recruit Australian citizens and permanent residents as a first priority and facilitate the recruitment of overseas workers where there is a demonstrated need.
As we enter the final year of our five-year funding agreement, we are proud to have facilitated Labour Agreements between the Commonwealth and 75 businesses in our region. Through these agreements, over 300 positions unable to be filled by local workers were open to skilled migrants.
Currently, we are in the process of renewing our regional DAMA for another five years.
Your input is crucial in shaping the new Agreement to align with the specific needs of our region.
We would appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out our survey to ensure that the renewed DAMA effectively addresses the requirements and aspirations of our community.
We acknowledge that the survey is extensive and you might not have answers to all the questions. If unsure you can contact Angie Doldan, DAMA Coordinator, on 5559 4913 or leave any unanswered questions blank.
Survey not displaying properly? Use this link instead.