Aged Care Worker in Regional Queensland: The Far North Queensland DAMA, Pay and Which Visas Reach It

Why this occupation needs a different pathway at all

ANZSCO 423111 (Aged or Disabled Carer), 423312 (Nursing Support Worker) and 423313 (Personal Care Assistant) sit at ANZSCO Skill Level 4 — below the level the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List, the Core Skills Occupation List and the general points-tested visas are built around. None of the three appears on any federal skilled occupation list, which is why Migratio's occupation database at /occupations does not carry an entity page for them — there is no code to link to /occupations/visa/482 the way there is for an occupation the CSOL actually lists. Our aged care worker pathway guide and how to move to Australia as an aged care worker article cover the general mechanics of this gap; this page is about what one specific regional agreement says.

What the FNQ DAMA actually names

The Far North Queensland DAMA Information Guide (version 11.4, issued 19 March 2026, published by the Cairns Chamber of Commerce as the region's Designated Area Representative) lists the skills-assessing authority for each occupation it covers. Nursing Support Worker (423312) and Personal Care Assistant (423313) both appear in that table, both assessed by ANMAC (the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council) at Skill Level 4. Aged or Disabled Carer (423111) does not appear anywhere in the guide's assessing-authority table.

That's a real, sourced distinction worth being precise about: it means this specific document — the one a Far North Queensland employer and the Cairns Chamber would actually work from — treats Nursing Support Worker and Personal Care Assistant as reachable occupations under the FNQ DAMA, and doesn't show Aged or Disabled Carer as one of them. It doesn't prove the code can never be added to a future version of the agreement, only that the current guide doesn't carry it.

The income concession structure

The FNQ DAMA's separate Salary Concessions Summary (version 3.0, 22 March 2025) sets out two concession types available for occupations where an income-threshold concession is negotiated: Type 1 requires total monetary earnings of at least 90% of the Core Skills Income Threshold (formerly the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold, TSMIT), with no non-monetary component allowed; Type 2 requires earnings at or above the full threshold, with up to 10% of that able to be delivered as non-monetary earnings (food and board). Applying the current 2026–27 Core Skills Income Threshold of $79,423, Type 1 works out to a monetary floor of roughly $71,481 a year; Type 2 requires the full $79,423, with up to roughly $7,942 of that able to be non-monetary. The guide itself doesn't confirm which concession type, if any, applies to a specific occupation — that's set out in the employer's actual FNQ DAMA labour agreement, negotiated with the Designated Area Representative, not in the public guide.

How this differs from South Australia's approach

This is worth naming directly because it's the kind of state-by-state difference this page exists to surface: South Australia's statewide DAMA (covered on Migratio's South Australia aged care page) explicitly names Aged or Disabled Carer, Nursing Support Worker AND Personal Care Assistant, available across the whole state. The FNQ DAMA — one specific region of Queensland, not a statewide agreement — names only the latter two. The other Queensland agreement on Home Affairs' list, Townsville, may differ again — check the relevant region's own guide directly; nothing here should be read as describing Queensland as a whole.

What the Aged Care Award pays — a national figure, not an FNQ one

The Aged Care Award (MA000018) is a national modern award — the minimum it sets doesn't vary between Far North Queensland and anywhere else in Australia. From 1 July 2026, a Direct Care Worker Level 2 is paid $34.42 an hour ($1,307.80 for a 38-hour week); a qualified Direct Care Worker Level 3 is paid $36.23 an hour ($1,376.70 for a 38-hour week); casual loading is 25% on top. These are minimums, not typical pay, and an FNQ DAMA employer sponsoring under a negotiated income-threshold concession (above) would be working against the higher of the award rate or the concession floor, whichever applies to the specific nomination.

Registration and demand: what this page does and doesn't claim

None of the three aged-care codes require professional registration the way nursing does — Nursing Support Worker and Personal Care Assistant are assessed by ANMAC as a skills-assessment step for the visa itself, not an ongoing practising licence. Worker screening (police and other checks specific to aged care work) is a separate requirement this page doesn't detail, and readers should confirm current screening requirements directly with the aged care provider or the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

Check Jobs and Skills Australia's own vacancy and shortage data directly — no demand or shortage figure for aged care work in Far North Queensland or Queensland generally appears here. Migratio's directory of agents specialising in skilled visas covers Queensland at /agents/skilled-visa/qld, and the full Queensland directory is at /agents/in/qld.

Which aged care occupation codes does the Far North Queensland DAMA cover?

The FNQ DAMA Information Guide (v11.4, 19 March 2026) names Nursing Support Worker (ANZSCO 423312) and Personal Care Assistant (423313), both assessed by ANMAC. Aged or Disabled Carer (423111) does not appear in the guide's occupation table.

Why isn't Aged or Disabled Carer on any Australian skilled occupation list?

ANZSCO 423111, along with 423312 and 423313, sits at Skill Level 4 — below the level the general points-tested and standard employer-sponsored visa lists are built around. Access runs instead through labour agreements and Designated Area Migration Agreements rather than the standard skilled visa system.

What does the FNQ DAMA pay for aged care roles?

The guide sets an income-concession structure rather than a flat rate: Type 1 requires at least 90% of the Core Skills Income Threshold in monetary earnings ($79,423 as at 1 July 2026, so roughly $71,481); Type 2 requires the full threshold, with up to 10% deliverable as food and board. Separately, the national Aged Care Award pays a qualified Direct Care Worker Level 3 $36.23/hour from 1 July 2026 — that's the award floor, not an FNQ-specific figure.

Does South Australia's DAMA cover more aged care codes than Queensland's?

South Australia's statewide DAMA names all three codes — Aged or Disabled Carer, Nursing Support Worker and Personal Care Assistant. The Far North Queensland DAMA's current guide names only the latter two. Other Queensland DAMA regions weren't checked in this pass.

Do aged care workers need professional registration in Queensland?

Not in the way nurses do. Nursing Support Worker and Personal Care Assistant go through an ANMAC skills assessment as part of the visa process, not an ongoing practising registration. Worker screening requirements are separate and should be confirmed with the employer or the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission directly.

How does someone actually get onto the FNQ DAMA?

Only through an employer. The Designated Area Representative (the Cairns Chamber of Commerce for the FNQ region) endorses individual employer labour agreements; there is no application an individual worker can lodge to join a DAMA directly.

Is aged care work in demand in Far North Queensland?

This page makes no such claim. Check Jobs and Skills Australia's own vacancy and shortage data directly.