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A survey of 2300 Queensland resources industry workers was compiled as part of the QRC’s submission to the inquiry, and the council said the clear message was that a workforce comprising both residential and non-residential workers would attract the best employees.
QRC chief executive Michael Roche said while the political opposition to 100% FIFO workforces in areas where there were nearby resource communities was well-known, full consideration needed to be given to the wider impact of such operations.
He said the two coal mines in the Bowen Basin that were granted 100% FIFO workforce approval had around 1000 visits by local contractors during the month of February.
Roche also warned against making retrospective changes to existing operational workforces.
“Retrospective changes to conditioning of resource projects would be a huge sovereign risk for the state,” he said.
“These conditions were approved at a very different time for the sector, when attracting skilled employees was proving extremely difficult.
“Flexible workforce arrangements are essential to secure the resources sector’s long-term future and the sourcing of labour should continue to be determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account proximity of local towns, the availability of skilled labour and the competition for that labour.”
He said a regulatory approach to FIFO workforces would come at the detriment of the state’s resource industry.
“The overwhelming majority of resources sector operations in Queensland employ a mix of residential and long-distance commuting workers and will continue to do so,” he said.
“Long distance commuting extends our sector’s benefits to more Queenslanders, and a regulatory approach could threaten the economic viability of current projects and be a deterrent to future resources investment in Queensland.”
The Queensland FIFO inquiry was referred to the Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources Committee on March 27 to assess the broader impact of 100% FIFO workforces in the state.
Submissions to the inquiry closed on Monday last week, with the inquiry report due on September 30.
