DAMA Briefing with Macpherson Kelley
CFMP Members were provided a briefing from Macpherson Kelley and the Dept. of Home Affairs on what a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) would mean for the Mornington Peninsula Shire.
A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is a formal agreement between the Australian Government and a state or territory government or regional authority.
It provides access to more overseas workers than the standard skilled migration program. DAMAs operate under an agreement-based framework, providing flexibility for regions to respond to their unique economic and labour market conditions.
Historically, a DAMA is a two-tier framework covering a defined regional area.
DAMA head agreements are between the Government and a Designated Area Representative (DAR) (usually state or territory governments or regional bodies such as Chambers of Commerce, Regional Development Australia offices, or Shire Councils).
They contain a range of occupations as well as agreed terms and concessions to skilled visa eligibility criteria, as negotiated between parties. Once a DAMA head agreement is established, businesses in the region may seek individual DAMA labour agreements under the head agreement terms and concessions.
For decades now, workforce challenges have impacted the Mornington Peninsula Shire. This has hit tourism, hospitality and agriculture sectors perhaps the hardest.
CFMP has heard stories of businesses having to recruit staff from many, many km’s away (which is incredibly difficult given the lack of public transport options), businesses that have offered huge sign on bonuses to attract staff to positions, and businesses who have seasonal challenges, labour shortages, skills shortages, and of course – accommodation issues for their staff – the list goes on!
As part of the Committee’s Strategic Plan 2025-2030, we continue to advocate for the realignment of the Department of Immigration’s regional designation to allow the Mornington Peninsula LGA to be considered regional for the purposes of migrant and working holiday visas.
At the recent Federal Candidates forum held by the Committee, a DAMA for our region was raised by all candidates. This is what helped prompt this briefing between MK and the Committee – and allows us to get a general overview from the Department directly.
Thank you to Kian Bone from Macpherson Kelley for the detailed briefing, and representatives from the Department of Home Affairs and the Victorian Government's DJSIR. Thank you to Katie Wilkie for attending on behalf of Zoe McKenzie, and thank you to State Member for Mornington, Chris Crewther, for attending today.
Thank you also to Smart Business Solutions and Shannon Smit for hosting this briefing and to Paul Gazzola for sharing his experiences at Gazzola Farms.
The Committee will continue to work with local industry and local government on keeping a DAMA on the agenda for our region.
