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Sponsor Skilled and Semi-Skilled Workers Across the Great South Coast
If your business in Victoria's Great South Coast is facing a skills shortage it cannot fill locally, the GSC DAMA gives you access to a broader occupation list and concessions on standard visa requirements across the region. At Australian Migration Lawyers, we guide Great South Coast employers through the DAMA process, from endorsement through to visa grant.

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The GSC DAMA is a labour agreement between the Australian Government and Warrnambool City Council, covering six local government areas across Victoria's Great South Coast: Warrnambool City Council, Glenelg Shire, Southern Grampians Shire, Moyne Shire, Corangamite Shire, and Colac-Otway Shire. It gives eligible employers access to overseas workers where a genuine need exists across skilled and semi-skilled occupations, spanning industries such as agriculture, health, hospitality, and trades.
An occupation is not automatically eligible under this DAMA if it is already covered by an Industry Labour Agreement. From 26 March 2026, where this is the case, the occupation can only be endorsed under the GSC DAMA if the overseas worker will be employed in an industry different from the one the Industry Labour Agreement covers, otherwise, the business must use that Industry Labour Agreement pathway instead.
The Designated Area Representative (DAR) for the GSC DAMA is Warrnambool City Council. Employers are encouraged to discuss their proposal with their local council for a preliminary eligibility check before lodging a formal Request for Endorsement. Endorsement from the DAR does not guarantee that the Department of Home Affairs will approve the subsequent labour agreement or visa.
This DAMA is for employers, not individual workers. A worker cannot apply for a DAMA labour agreement independently and must have a genuine job offer from a business that already holds, or is seeking, endorsement under this DAMA.
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To be endorsed by Warrnambool City Council for the GSC DAMA, a business must demonstrate:
Financial viability and lawful operation within the designated area for the required period
A genuine full-time vacancy located within the designated area
That the position cannot be filled locally with an Australian citizen or permanent resident
Employment terms and conditions that are reasonable, lawful, and no less favourable than those offered to an Australian performing equivalent work
Pay and conditions that meet the standard salary threshold, or the specific concession available for that occupation
An understanding of sponsor obligations under the Migration Legislation, including that costs cannot be recovered from the sponsored worker
To be sponsored under the GSC DAMA, a worker generally needs:
A genuine, full-time job offer from a business that holds, or is actively seeking, DAR endorsement for this DAMA
An occupation listed on the current GSC DAMA Approved Occupations list
Skills, qualifications, and experience matching the nominated occupation's requirements, including a skills concession for some occupations where specified
English language test results meeting the standard visa requirement, or the concession available for the specific occupation
Health and character clearances

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From 1 July 2026, the endorsement fee is $850 excluding GST per worker nominated for businesses with an annual turnover under $10 million, or $1,000 excluding GST per worker nominated for businesses with turnover of $10 million or more. Applications lodged before 1 July 2026 are assessed under the previous fee. Payment is required before the DAR will assess the application, and a tax invoice is issued on receipt.
The GSC DAR endeavours to complete the endorsement process within 7 to 10 working days, where the application is complete. Incomplete applications take longer, and the Department of Home Affairs determines its own separate processing time for the labour agreement stage.
The employer completes the Request for Endorsement Form and submits it with the required supporting documentation and endorsement fee to Warrnambool City Council, either by email or in hardcopy.
Once endorsed, the employer applies to the Department of Home Affairs for a GSC DAMA labour agreement, attaching supporting documents including the letter of endorsement.
The employer nominates specific workers against the approved occupations and positions, and the worker applies for their Subclass 482, 494, or 186 visa.
Initial endorsement covers occupation types and worker numbers for the first year only, though endorsement itself can be granted for up to five years to support forward workforce planning. Where a business needs additional workers or new occupations beyond its approved endorsement, it applies to the DAR for a variation using the Request for Endorsement Subsequent Year, Deed of Variation form.
Eligible occupations under the GSC DAMA offer a pathway to permanent residency through the Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) or Subclass 494 to Subclass 191 route. To be nominated for the Subclass 186, a worker must have held a Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa granted under the GSC DAMA for 3 years, the standard federal timeframe. This DAMA does not currently offer a shortened pathway.
For Skill Level 1 to 4 occupations, the worker must be under 55 at the time of the Subclass 186 nomination, meaning under 52 when first granted the Subclass 482 visa, to allow for the 3-year wait. For Skill Level 5 occupations, the worker must be under 50 at nomination, so under 47 at initial grant.
If your business operates in the Great South Coast region and has a genuine skills shortage it cannot fill locally, our migration lawyers can confirm whether the GSC DAMA applies to you and guide you through endorsement, labour agreement, and visa stages.







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It is a labour agreement between the Australian Government and Warrnambool City Council, covering six local government areas across Victoria's Great South Coast, allowing endorsed employers to sponsor overseas workers in occupations experiencing genuine skill and labour shortages.
Warrnambool City Council, Glenelg Shire, Southern Grampians Shire, Moyne Shire, Corangamite Shire, and Colac-Otway Shire.
Warrnambool City Council administers endorsement for the GSC DAMA.
From 1 July 2026, $850 excluding GST per worker nominated for businesses with turnover under $10 million, or $1,000 excluding GST for businesses at or above that threshold.
Generally no, unless the overseas worker will be employed in a different industry from the one the Industry Labour Agreement covers. Otherwise, the Industry Labour Agreement pathway must be used instead.
Tell us a little about your situation, and one of our migration lawyers will contact you as soon as possible.

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We are an incorporated legal practice which is a corporation for the purposes of the Corporations Act 2001. The use of the title ‘Partner’ by a lawyer in this practice is used to denote seniority and does not and is not intended to signify that the practice is contracting otherwise than as a corporation. For the avoidance of doubt, any such title does not and is not intended to signify that a partnership within the definition of the Partnership Act exists at law.
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