Goulburn Valley (Vic) DAMA and the 482 Visa: Occupations, Concessions and Endorsement

The Goulburn Valley DAMA lets employers in the Greater Shepparton, Moira and Campaspe council areas sponsor 482 workers in occupations outside the standard lists, once the Goulburn Valley designated area representative, reached through the GV DAMA coordinator at Greater Shepparton City Council, endorses the business. The three councils secured the agreement with Home Affairs and opened it to applications on 31 March 2022, for shortages in health, professional and specialist services, agriculture, education and trades. Check the occupation on the GV DAMA’s approved list, then contact the GV DAMA coordinator for endorsement before lodging a labour agreement request with Home Affairs.

Who endorses Goulburn Valley DAMA positions?

The designated area representative (DAR) is reached through the GV DAMA coordinator at Greater Shepparton City Council. Campaspe Shire Council says it partnered with Greater Shepparton City Council and Moira Shire Council to secure the agreement with Home Affairs, and Moira Shire Council announced the launch on 31 March 2022. The councils point employers to the GV DAMA’s own website, gvdama.com.au, which is not a government site.

Individuals cannot apply to the DAMA. An employer operating in one of the three council areas applies for endorsement and then nominates the worker.

Which sectors?

The Goulburn Valley DAMA serves five sectors, named by Campaspe Shire and Moira Shire as the industries struggling to attract and keep skilled workers:

1. Health
2. Professional and specialist services
3. Agriculture
4. Education
5. Trades

Each role must still appear on the GV DAMA’s approved list, and each region’s list differs, as the DAMA occupation list comparison across all 13 agreements shows.

Which Goulburn Valley councils does it cover?

The agreement covers the three partner council areas:

• Greater Shepparton City Council, around Shepparton;
• Moira Shire Council, along the Murray;
• Campaspe Shire Council, around Echuca.

The Goulburn Valley is one of two Victorian DAMAs, with the Great South Coast: Warrnambool City Council’s release of 31 March 2025 states that “Victoria has just two DAMAs”. No statewide Victorian DAMA is on the Home Affairs list.

Which occupations can a Goulburn Valley employer nominate?

A Goulburn Valley employer nominates skilled and semi-skilled occupations on the GV DAMA approved list. Moira Shire says the agreement lets employers sponsor “skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers with more flexible requirements” than the standard program. The number of occupations is not published on a government page, so the DAR’s current list is the only reference.

Which concessions does the Goulburn Valley DAMA give, including age?

Goulburn Valley concessions are not published on a government page. Moira Shire describes “more flexible requirements” than the standard skilled visa program without listing them. The 482 itself has no age requirement, so an age concession matters at the 186 or 494 step, where the limit is under 45 unless the labour agreement provides otherwise. The general rule is set out in the guide to 482 visa age requirements.

Because the Goulburn Valley list and concessions are published only on the DAR’s own site, a migration lawyer who obtains the current endorsed terms before nominating makes the nomination more likely to succeed and less likely to rely on a concession the agreement does not grant for that occupation.

What salary must a Goulburn Valley DAMA position pay?

A Goulburn Valley DAMA position pays at least the annual market salary rate for the job in the area, and at least the income threshold the labour agreement sets. The DAMAs that publish their terms use the CSIT or TSMIT, both $79,423 from 1 July 2026, and set salary concessions at 85% to 90% of it where granted. A Goulburn Valley salary concession is not published on a government page. How the market rate is tested is covered in the guide to the 482 minimum salary.

The Orana DAMA in NSW

Across the Murray, the Orana DAMA covers Dubbo, Mudgee and ten smaller council areas in central and western New South Wales, with RDA Orana as the endorsing body.