THE AUSTRALIAN Government’s sensible response to Tony Windsor’s highly emotive and agenda-driven inquiry into fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) work practices, underscores the need for sensible and proportionate approaches from all our policymakers, both state and federal, says national resource industry employer group, AREEA.
Upon its release in February 2013, AREEA, was quick to call out the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia Report: Cancer of the bush or salvation of our cities? as counterproductive and ignoring the industry’s efforts to balance critical FIFO/DIDO working arrangements with residential workforces and the interests of local communities.
“The report from the Windsor-led committee sought only to demonise vital working arrangements that provide thousands of Australians with well-remunerated employment, and allow Australia to build major resource projects that inject billions of dollars into regional economies and state and federal revenues,” says AREEA chief executive Steve Knott.
“The federal government’s response to the Windsor-led committee reinjects long overdue good sense and proportion to consideration of FIFO work by our policy makers. It recognises the critical role FIFO has played in stimulating economic growth and generating valuable royalties and taxes.”
Two further FIFO inquiries and a review are currently underway, which again seek to highlight mental health and other socio-economic considerations. While AREEA has contributed to all these processes, Mr Knott says there is no need for further inquiries into FIFO work.
“The current government inquiries are taking place in Western Australia and Queensland, and therefore risk impacting the reputation of our nation’s two most important resource states,” he adds.
“These states collectively generate 76% of the resource sector’s contribution to Australian GDP and collectively employ 57% of our nation’s resources workforce. AREEA encourages the state MPs undertaking these inquiries to note the federal government’s responsible approach to an important part of our nation’s economy and labour force.
“We urge the Western Australian and Queensland governments to display the same level of responsibility and practicality demonstrated by the Commonwealth in reviewing the recommendations that are handed down by these committees.”
Mr Knott notes that resource employers have spent many years proactively managing the mental health, community or general wellbeing factors that can arise with remote working practices, and have done so well before any of the recent parliamentary inquiries at the state and federal level.
This includes AREEA’s recent work with beyondblue to develop an industry-wide mental health awareness campaign, as well as a Resource Industry Mental Health Working Group through which major employers are sharing their initiatives and work practices relating to proactive mental health management for all residential and non-residential resource industry worksites.
This week AREEA lodged a submission to the Queensland Government’s inquiry into fly in, fly out and other long distance commuting work practices in regional Queensland. Read it here.
Download a PDF copy of this release, including media contact details here.
