Pilbara DAMA sees significant increase in desperately needed childcare workers

The Pilbara Designated Area Management Agreement has seen significant increase in the number of childcare workers in Karratha, helping to squash the desperate need for childcare placings in the region. The Pilbara DAMA was approved in 2022 as a partnership between the City of Karratha, Town of Port Hedland and Regional Development Australia Pilbara and in May saw 100 applicants’ endorsed. Since 2023, the DAMA has produced a boost in childcare workers in the region, with One Tree able to offer skilled employment visas to 14 staff, representing an average of 105 full-time early education places accessible to families across the Pilbara region. City of Karratha Mayor Daniel Scott said the Pilbara DAMA had enabled early learning centres to expand their placings at a time when there is a nation-wide staffing crisis. “This enables local businesses to offer long-term employment to skilled overseas workers and build service capacity in our City,” he said. It comes after a landmark 2022 national report by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute described the Pilbara as a “child care desert” finding there was about six children vying for every space in childcare centres across the region. It’s part of recent local efforts to attract more child care staff to the region with an Onslow partnership between One Tree Community Services and the town’s chamber of commerce and industry offering educators a $500 weekly living allowance, two return flights to Perth each year and a $3000 retention bonus after 12 months. Karratha City has also partnered with industry to deliver key service worker accommodation which childcare workers can utilise. “Currently we have three childcare workers residing in our service worker accommodation,” Mayor Scott said. “That’s three workers that are able to remain in Karratha, working at early learning centres and providing this vital service for parents and children.”