Life beyond the boom: FIFO
families brace for downturn
S
outh coast FIFO families are preparing for a change in
lifestyle as the mining sector slows. With new rosters in
place and job losses on the horizon, many are asking how
this will affect their home lives in coming years.
As far as FIFO populations go, the Great Southern on Western Australia's south
coast is relatively small. An estimated 500 to 800 workers fly in and out of mine
sites, capitalising on the richest resources boom in Australia's history.
But for every employee with a family back home, the impact of FIFO work spreads
further afield. Now their lifestyles are set to change with the best of the mining
boom behind them.
Iron ore has shed over half its value in the past two years to around $60 a tonne.
The drop comes as mining projects move from construction phases to less labourintensive production phases. Hundreds of jobs have gone around WA and further
cuts are likely.
FIFO workers in the Great Southern have remained largely unaffected by jobs cuts,
but many are looking to their counterparts in regions such as the North West and
Gascoyne as a sign of things to come.
Nicole Ashby from FIFO Families, a company providing support to workers and
their families, says acknowledging the state of play is critical.
"Preparation and not putting your head in the sand, making sure that you're putting
money aside.... If there's any unnecessary spending, curbing that at the moment and
just being aware that we are in a downturn."
Roster changes to impact home life
Ms Ashby said that the immediate impact of the downturn is being felt in the form
of roster changes.
"We know that with FMG [Fortescue Metals Group], instead of making a lot of their
workers redundant, they're moving some of them from an 8:6 roster to a 2 weeks
on, 1 week off roster towards the end of June," she said speaking from a community
event in Albany.
Published By Karla Anall ABC NEWS April 28, 1025