Great South Coast DAMA
The GSC region joins the Northern Territory, the Orana region in NSW and Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia, Adelaide City and Regional South Australia as one of the first regions to enter a 5-year DAMA agreement with the Commonwealth Government. The GSC region DAMA includes a total of 27 occupations across a variety of industry sectors including agriculture, hospitality, transport and trade.
The priority for all Australian businesses is to recruit Australians first, but if that is not possible the recruitment of skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers will help to fill key roles.The DAMA application process will require employers to demonstrate that the job cannot be filled by an Australian worker and skilled migrants will also need to undertake a skills assessment, demonstrating their competence and qualifications, as well as an English language proficiency test. However, under the DAMA framework, the requirements are more flexible than under the standard skilled visa programs.
All DAMA programs are employer-sponsored only and individual workers cannot apply for a visa in these programs on their own without first being sponsored by an approved business.
However, individual workers may be eligible for a Skilled Migration pathway. Qualified specialists, managers and trades people can complete Skilled Visas assessment by clicking on the Yellow Pattern Road or using Visa Eligibility Assessment below.
Businesses can access the GSC DAMA if they are actively operating in the GSC region and:
- are viable and have been operating for at least 12 months
- have no history of not meeting its obligations to employees
- intend to employ overseas workers to fill full-time positions with duties that align with one of the occupations on the GSC DAMA list
- can provide terms and conditions of employment to overseas workers that are comparable with those offered to Australian workers in the GSC region
- can demonstrate that they cannot fill the position locally with Australian citizens or permanent residents
Designated Area Representative
The Warrnambool City Council is fulfilling the role of the DAR for the GSC region DAMA. It is responsible for the management and monitoring of the program including:
- endorsement of employers seeking to access a Labour Agreement and employ an overseas worker
- monitoring activities, including labour market patterns in the GSC region
- providing support services for employers and visa holders under the GSC DAMA program
- providing regular evaluation reports to the Government
Follow the Yellow Pattern Road for a free visa assessment
