DAMA · Queensland · Established 2018 (Australia’s first regional DAMA, renewed 2023)
Townsville Designated Area Migration Agreement
The Townsville DAMA was Australia’s first regional DAMA, signed in 2018. It targets the defence industry (RAAF Base Townsville, Lavarack Barracks), aircraft maintenance, hospitality and aged care.
★Key takeaways
- ✓Townsville DAMA was established 2018 (Australia’s first regional DAMA, renewed 2023) and is administered by Townsville Enterprise.
- ✓Occupation list includes 10+ roles with TSMIT and English concessions not available on standard 482 Core stream.
- ✓Employer geographic trigger: Employer must be located in the City of Townsville or surrounding North Queensland LGAs (Burdekin, Charters Towers, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island)
- ✓PR pathway: 186 Direct Entry stream under the Labour Agreement pathway after 3 years on the 482.
- ✓Cite all DAMA pathway numbers against Townsville Enterprise’s current published occupation list – concessions and occupations are reviewed periodically.
At a glance
Agreement holder
Townsville Enterprise
Geographic trigger
Employer must be located in the City of Townsville or surrounding North Queensland LGAs (Burdekin, Charters Towers, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island)
PR pathway
186 Direct Entry stream under the Labour Agreement pathway after 3 years on the 482
Occupations covered
10+ across mining, trades, hospitality, care and professional services
Top concession occupations
10 representative occupations
A sample of the 10+ occupations on the Townsville DAMA. The full current list is published by the agreement holder and is reviewed periodically.
Concessions summary
What the DAMA actually changes
| Concession | Townsville DAMA |
|---|---|
| TSMIT | Up to 10% concession on TSMIT for selected occupations |
| English | IELTS 5.0 each band for most occupations |
| Age (PR pathway) | PR pathway: age cap raised to 55 for selected occupations |
| Work experience and skills | Reduced work experience to 2 years; some defence-industry occupations have additional concessions |
Concessions are set out in the agreement between the Commonwealth and the agreement holder and can change at agreement renewal. Always confirm against the current published agreement.
In depth
How the Townsville DAMA actually works
Townsville is North Queensland’s largest city and host to RAAF Base Townsville and Lavarack Barracks, two of Australia’s largest defence installations. The local defence-industry supply chain (aircraft maintenance, electrical engineering, specialist trades) has structural skills gaps that the DAMA helps close.
Townsville Enterprise is the agreement holder and was the first to negotiate a regional DAMA with the Commonwealth. The agreement was renewed in 2023 and covers around 70 occupations across defence, aviation, hospitality and care services.
Aircraft maintenance engineer is one of the distinctive concession occupations on the Townsville DAMA, reflecting the RAAF maintenance demand. The wider hospitality and care occupations track the same pattern seen in other regional DAMAs.
Employer obligations
- Employer must be located within the agreement region (see geographic trigger above).
- Obtain agreement holder endorsement before lodging a Standard Business Sponsorship (SBS) application with Home Affairs.
- Demonstrate local labour market testing (LMT) was carried out and a local hire was not available.
- Pay the Skilling Australians Fund (SAF) levy on nomination: $1,200/year (small business under $10m turnover) or $1,800/year (larger employers).
- Pay at or above the agreement’s salary floor (cannot use DAMA concession to push salary below the agreement minimum).
- Do not recover any sponsorship or migration agent costs from the worker (this is a strict sponsor obligation).
Common questions
Townsville DAMA – common questions
Is the Townsville DAMA still open?
Yes. The Townsville DAMA was renewed in 2023 for a further 5-year term. Townsville Enterprise continues as agreement holder.
Does this DAMA cover Mackay?
No. Mackay is not currently covered by any DAMA. The Townsville DAMA reaches south to the Burdekin Shire.
Can I sponsor an aircraft maintenance engineer offshore?
Yes – the standard 482 + DAMA endorsement pathway works for offshore applicants. Many aircraft maintenance engineers come from the UK, South Africa and Philippines.
Does the Townsville DAMA have an investor or business pathway?
No. DAMAs are labour agreements (employer-sponsored). There is no investor or business stream within a DAMA.
Other DAMA regions