The Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Dr Steve Thomas has called on the State Government to abandon plans for a single state-wide Designated Area Migration Agreement, which he says would undermine the existing regional agreements and hurt business in the regions.
“A Designated Area Migration Agreement is a contract between Local, State and Federal Governments to supply key workers into specific industries and into specific geographic areas” Dr Thomas said.
“As the Federal Government’s DAMA website says “It provides access to more overseas workers than the standard skilled migration program”, which is something about which the State Government has been complaining at length to the Commonwealth.
“These agreements allow specialised skills and key workers to be brought in to fill vital roles, in doing so supporting businesses that would otherwise struggle to operate.
“They are essential in the current economic climate of severe worker shortages in vital industries that underpin regional economies.
There are currently four DAMAs in Western Australia:
- South West – managed by the Shire of Dardanup
- Goldfields – managed by the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder
- Pilbara – managed by the Pilbara branch of Regional Development Australia and
- East Kimberley – managed by the East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Under the current circumstances each of these units is free to focus on the needs of their areas without being overrun by a state wide plan that would be entirely focussed on the agenda of the State Government” Dr Thomas said.
“When I asked in State Parliament this week specifically whether the Government was planning to overshadow regional DAMAs with a state wide version, the Minister for Workforce Development refused to provide a specific answer.
“Simone McGurk would only say that “all options….are on the table and are being explored”.
“I take this as an admission that the Government is indeed pushing for a state wide DAMA, which might well suit their purposes but would be poison for regional communities and industries.
“I am calling on the Government to abandon the push for a state wide DAMA and simply support regional industries and communities, and their existing representative bodies, to negotiate agreements that will focus on the benefits to their local areas.
“The current regional Designated Area Migration Agreement are successful because they have a local focus, and that should not be taken away.”
