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.
Important Update – Industry Labour Agreements (ILAs)
From 26 March 2026, where a requested occupation is available under an existing Industry Labour Agreement (ILA), the occupation can only be endorsed under DAMA if the overseas worker will be employed in an industry that is different from the industry covered by the relevant ILA.
Employers operating within an industry covered by an existing ILA must utilise the relevant ILA for those occupations.