East Kimberley DAMA to be expanded to cover Kimberley

Broome businesses could soon see a respite from their staffing issues as the East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce and Industry looks to expand its existing Designated Area Migration Agreement westwards. Making the announcement at Kimberley Economic Forum on November 10, EKCCI chief executive Clare Smith said the chamber was working to expand the recently approved East Kimberley DAMA to the other three local government areas in the Kimberley. “We currently administer the East Kimberley DAMA which is a five-year agreement with the Department of Home Affairs that was approved in late March,” she said. “Every 12 months we get a chance to do a deed of variation, so we are looking at proposing an extension across the Kimberley to incorporate the other three local government areas.” But before the DAMA, which provides access to more overseas workers than the standard skilled migration program, can be expanded, extensive research justifying the need for the agreement must be submitted to the Department of Home Affairs for approval. “We have done a huge survey in recent weeks in conjunction with the Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who have put in a lot of work raising awareness for that survey as we really needed to get businesses to respond and justify the need to be included in that DAMA,” Ms Smith said. “We had 130 responses from businesses, and I’m in the process of collating all those results.” Pending government approval, Ms Smith said businesses in the West Kimberley could look forward to the agreement being adopted early next year. “We’re definitely going to put it forward,” she said. “We are looking at adding up to 80 additional occupations to the list. “Once we have tuned the list, we will propose that through the date of variation, which I’m hoping to have in the next two weeks. “It will then go through to the Department of Home Affairs and they will put it to the minister of immigration and I’m hoping early next year we’ll be able to have a Kimberley DAMA.” The announcement comes after the Advertiser reported on November 4 that a Broome business was offering a $100,000 salary for an admin assistant — a position that typically makes between $42,000 and $55,000 per year — in a desperate attempt to lure staff.