Restaurateur Jane Coole (right) believes DAMAs should be more consistent between regions.(Supplied)
The monthsJane Coole spent racking her brain for a plan to recruit workers hasfinally led to an idea she thinks could work.
The Esperance restaurant owner believes rethinkingDesignated Area Migration Agreements(DAMA) could help countless regional employers still struggling to find staff following the pandemic.
The agreements, which are in place across 12 Australian areas, allow regional businesses to sponsor skilled overseas workers more easily than standard visa programs.
But the agreements differ widely between regions, which Ms Coole said created problems.
TheGoldfields-Esperance DAMAis skewed towards mining and agriculture, while the newSouth Westone,which Ms Coole believed was the gold standard, includesmany jobs in tourism and hospitality.
The agreements, which can be accessed online, show that chefs are included in the Goldfields one, but the South West calls for cooks, hospitality workers, cafe and restaurant managers, bar attendants, accommodation and hospitality managers and waiters.
Ms Coole said that put theSouth West at a huge advantage over other regions when trying to recruit tourism and hospitality workers.
She believed the broader agreement should roll out across regional Australiato even the playing field for regional employersand simplify the process for migrants.
Jane Coole wants to entice more hospitality workers to the regions.(Instagram: Barista Social)
A Home Affairs spokesperson said a region could ask for additional occupations to be added to its DAMA during an annual review, which would be considered by the minister.
The Shire of Esperance said the Goldfields DAMA hadjust gone through its annual reviewand a number of additional occupations, including some in hospitality and tourism, were awaiting sign-off by the minister.
It would just be incredibly helpful if we were all playing on the same level playing field trying to get these workers into regional areas, Ms Coole said.
It's tricky, and it's challenging enough, without [some of us having a] big disadvantage and some having a huge advantage.
DAMA brings 30 to Goldfields in three years
The South West DAMA, which took effect in January,has not yet brought new visa-holders to the region, but it is believed applications are currently being worked through.
A spokesperson said the process could take months.
The Goldfields-Esperance DAMA, which was launched in 2019, hadseen about 30 primary visas granted, according to the Department of Home Affairs.
Many hospitality businesses are still looking for staff.(ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Different worker pool to backpackers
Although DAMAs are controlled by the federal government, Ms Coole believed the state government should champion strengthened agreements as part ofits bid to attract more skilled migrants.
She said DAMAs had advantages over backpacker visa programs —historically a major pool for regional Australia's seasonal workers —as theypermitted older workers and could provide a path to permanent residency.
The South West DAMA allows workers up to 55 years old for most occupations.
The state government has recently come out saying that they want to relax some of the conditions around visas and encourage migration, Ms Coole said.
It would seem a rational thing to do to pick up that one very effective [South West] DAMA and bring it out across the regions.
Educationand Training Minister Sue Ellery said the state government had a number of initiatives designed to bring tourism and hospitality workers to the region.
She said106 occupations were recently added to the WA migration list, bringing the total number of occupations to 276.
She said 33 of the new occupations aligned with the four DAMAs across WA.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-08/dama-designated-area-migration-agreement-staff-jane-coole-wa/101415080
