AREEA is pleased to make this submission in response to the inquiry launched by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia on 24 August 2011 to inquire into the use of fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) workforce practices in regional Australia.
There is a need for government policy positions on FIFO/DIDO that support these arrangements and do not seek to demonise or eradicate them. Resource companies must be given every encouragement to develop resource projects by allowing working arrangements that are competitive and commercially viable.
It must be remembered that residential workforces do not always provide the lifestyles of choicefor employees nor can they always meet the skills and commercial demands of mining companies.