Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA)
Statutory definition
A DAMA is a form of labour agreement under the Migration Act 1958 (Cth). Labour agreements are formal arrangements between the Australian Government (represented by the Minister) and a business or industry body that allow for non-standard visa arrangements where standard visa pathways are not sufficient to meet legitimate workforce needs.
Explanation
A DAMA is negotiated between the Australian Government and a regional or state authority (e.g., a state government, territory government, or regional body). Once a DAMA is in place, individual employers within the designated area must enter an individual endorsement under the DAMA before they can use it to sponsor workers.
DAMAs can offer:
- Access to occupations not on standard occupation lists
- Lower salary concessions than the standard TSMIT for some occupations
- Age concessions for some occupations
- English language concessions for some occupations
Current DAMAs cover areas including the Northern Territory, South Australia, regional Western Australia, and parts of regional Queensland and regional New South Wales.
How this term is used
DAMAs are often relevant in the agriculture, hospitality, retail, and care sectors in regional areas where domestic labour supply is demonstrably insufficient. An employer must first apply to become an endorsed DAMA employer before sponsoring workers under the arrangement.