The is a five year labour agreement between the Federal Government, the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and the Shires of Coolgardie, Leonora and Menzies.
The new arrangements will assist a range of industries including mining, engineering, construction, childcare and health among others helping to drive economic growth and fill critical employment gaps.
In the first year, around 72 occupations are eligible for sponsorship under the Goldfields DAMA.
The Goldfields DAMA utilises the labour agreement stream of the Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) and the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
It provides eligible businesses access to occupations which are not available through the standard stream of the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482) or the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (subclass 186) visas.
It also provides for English language and Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) concessions for some occupations. Not all occupations are eligible for concessions.
Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson commended the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder for their hard work and willingness to work with the Commonwealth to support the local community.
“The Goldfields has suffered from a skilled workforce shortage for too long which is having a negative impact on the entire community,” Mr Wilson said.
“Through this agreement, we will see more families moving to the Goldfields which will in turn have a flow-on effect on the economy.”
Chief Executive Officer of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder John Walker said the DAMA would offer a solution to ongoing skill shortages and the estimated 1,500 job vacancies in the Goldfields region.
“The City welcomes the Federal Government’s support and believes a DAMA will encourage skilled migrants to come work and reside in regional Western Australia,” Mr Walker said.
