The Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Dr Steve Thomas says the State Government’s new state-wide Designated Area Migration Agreement will undermine the existing regional agreements and concentrate support on large metropolitan based industries.
“A Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is a contract between Local, State and Federal Governments to supply key workers into specific industries and into specific geographic areas where shortages are proven to exist” Dr Thomas said.
“Putting a state wide DAMA in place will undermine the existing regional agreements and hurt business in the regions.
“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.
“They are essential in the current economic climate of severe worker shortages in vital industries that underpin regional economies” Dr Thomas said. “It is far harder to get workers into regional areas than it is to attract them to Perth.”
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” Dr Thomas said.
“When I asked in State Parliament two weeks ago 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”, which is same answer they were giving the media this week. Given the announcement today, this was obviously a lie and the decision was already made.
“A better outcome for the state would have been greater for support for existing DAMAs and the addition of new DAMAs where they are needed to focus on the benefits to their local areas.
“The current regional Designated Area Migration Agreements are successful because they have a local focus, and that should not be overridden by a new, overarching state wide model.
“We have come full circle because in 2017 Mark McGowan’s first act was to remove Perth from the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme, while today Simone McGurk has prioritised Perth above the regions.”
