Orana in NSW likely to have Designated Area Migration Agreement soon

Migration Alliance has received the following communications from Regional Development Australia - Orana NSW:

RDA Orana has been working on the issue of the workforce for our region and has identified that there are critical labour shortages holding back business growth.

We’ve also identified a project pipeline of $7.9 B that is a mix of mining, infrastructure, renewable energy, manufacturing and health projects between now and the next 5 years.

With 5 of 12 LGA’s recording full employment, an ageing regional population and declining participation rates,  access to and availability of labour is a critical factor in all employer feedback. This is across the board and no industry is unaffected. (Full details of our research can be found in our Bracing for Change report, which is available to view on our website).

To address the critical shortages being experienced by business, RDA Orana has been in discussion with the Commonwealth Government and is preparing to lodge a proposal for a DAMA for the Orana region.

DAMAs are custom-designed arrangements which support a tailored, regional response to labour needs. They are an important tool in assisting regions to manage workforce strategies that support local growth. The over-arching nature of these agreements allows employers streamlined access to a broader range of overseas workers than allowed under standard skilled migration programmes, without the need to individually negotiate terms and conditions.

The specific advantages of having a DAMA in place for our region include:

• simplification of visa application system for employers
• the ability to bring semi-skilled labour into the region to meet and address real labour shortages
• the ability to bring in semi-skilled labour, which will cut the retraining costs associated with using holiday visa workers to fill unfilled job vacancies currently unrecognised in the Australian Skill Shortage lists
• the ability to allow our ageing population to continue to live in the region where they have grown up and had their working life will be underpinned by access to a professional workforce and
• provide an opportunity for overseas workers to embed in our region, supporting the possibility of permanent residency and addressing population decline, particularly in our rural communities

The DAMA will not:

• provide an advantage to overseas workers over Australian workers or
• be used to erode the wages and conditions of any worker in the region or
• provide any avoidance of the Fairwork Australia legal obligations of employers

RDA Orana is committed to the principles of

• Jobs for Australian’s first and
• Wages and condition equality

RDA Orana is seeking the advice and input of your organisation into the proposal to have the RDA Orana geographic area being approved as a DAMA. This approval if successful will be granted by the Commonwealth Government and RDA Orana intends to act as the Designated Area Representative (DAR) on behalf of the region.

We have attached a list of occupations that we will be seeking to have included in the DAMA as a starting point for discussion purposes. During the consultation, we will be talking with employers to firm up numbers for each occupation; as well as concessions (i.e. English language test, variations to work experience and age). We are interested in your viewpoint on these areas.

The Commonwealth requires all organisations seeking access to a DAMA to consult with: relevant unions which best represent employees in occupations and locations proposed under the DAMA; the industry bodies which best represent employers in the industry; and any other agency, union or community group that may be impacted by the proposed DAMA.

We are formally seeking your input and submissions to allow the preparation and lodging of the proposal to request a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) which we intend to lodge by the 14 November 2018.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (the department) will take your views into account when considering our request.

The consultation period is for 28 days and we invite you to respond before 5 pm 31 October 2018.

To assist you with understanding the proposal and responding we are available to meet with you to provide further detail and respond to your questions. Meeting requests should be lodged with Miranda Riley, on 02 6885 1488 or miranda.riley@rdaorana.org.au.

We have also scheduled public meetings, which include:

• Mudgee Council Chambers - 10th October
• Dubbo Commercial Hotel - 11th October
• Nyngan RSL Club - 16th October
• Cobar Council Chambers - 17th October
• Narromine United Services Memorial Club - 18th October

Your input is valued and will be taken into consideration. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you do not have a substantive objection to our proposal. If you have information or documents to support any concerns, these should be provided in your written response to us.

The department expects that all information provided to you during the consultation is treated in confidence. Copies of all correspondence between us will be provided to the department. Information provided in this process should not to be disclosed to any other party.

Submissions can be lodged with Megan Dixon, the Director of Regional Development at

RDA Orana

PO Box 1357

Dubbo NSW 2830

or via email at  dama@rdaorana.org.au

Attached for your information is a copy of the DAMA guidelines .

Attachment 2 provides the specific details we are required by the department to provide to you, occupations of workers sought for the DAMA.