An EMA "is not a free pass"

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Created on Thursday, 09 August 2012 15:53

Written by Editorial staff

Enterprise Migration Agreements, more commonly referred to as EMAS, should not be thought of as a "free pass" for migrants to enter Australia to work, the immigration minister asserted last week.

Speaking at the Australian Mines and Metals Association Migration and Labour Sourcing Conference in Brisbane on August 2, Chris Bowen asserted that the EMA program - which is relatively new - will be "subject to stringent oversight".

In short, this means that there are a number of key criteria companies that want to apply for an EMA will need to meet to ensure they qualify - factors that migration agents will need to take note of as the EMA program gains momentum.

Most importantly, these organisations must prove evidence that they are not only faced with a genuine shortage of skilled labour, but also the impact that this shortage has on their project.

"The key benefit of EMAs is to assist project owners to plan their workforce needs and mitigate any risks that projects won't be able to source sufficient skilled workers to be completed on time and on budget," he told the conference.

The EMA program, he added, has been established specifically to help meet the labour demand for so-called "mega resources projects created by the mining boom".

These allow project managers and the government to negotiate a single Deed of Agreement to cover the entire project from start to finish. Streamlining the process into a single negotiation can be a valuable timesaver and can also allow project managers to better assess their resources from the outset.

Bowen said: "The program also mirrors and builds upon many of the existing 457 visa and labour agreement requirements. I won't go into those in detail, but I do want to make the point that an EMA is not a free pass and will be subject to stringent oversight."

He also asserted that the Roy Hill Project, which was recently granted in-principle approval for an EMA, will secure more than 6,000 jobs for local Australians - and any foreign workers recruited under the agreement will need to be suitably qualified and experienced.

"This is precisely the sort of project we envisaged when designing the EMA program: one of vital national significance that will add considerable benefit to our economy," he said.