Regional hearings begin for FIFO inquiry in Mackay

A second review into fly-in, fly-out work practices in the mining industry will hold hearings in central Queensland this week.

The panel have already done interviews in Brisbane, and met with local council representatives, unions and businesses in Mackay yesterday.

Reviews in Moranbah are expected to take place today.

Submissions for the FIFO parliamentary inquiry were due on May 25, with more than 230 received.

Dysart’s Carol Paul placed a submission, stating FIFO was “destroying towns and families”.

“Men and women sitting in the four walls of a donga at camp, thinking what their families are doing right now. Suicide is starting to become all too real in this world of FIFO,” the resident of 37 years wrote.

“Half of the town of Dysart has empty houses sitting waiting for people to fill them. Bring families back together so they can kiss their kids goodnight.”

Christine Ellrott, from Mackay, said her main concern is the “drain of population from the central Queensland towns and regions”.

“The slow drain of families and single people out of the region is having a devastating flow-on effect on the region,” she wrote in her submission.

Not all submissions were against FIFO though, with several stating the benefits fly-in fly-out have on them.

Mark (surname not included on submission) said after living in small towns such as Middlemount or Dysart, lifestyle outside of work is “heavily compromised”.

“The opportunity to live in Brisbane and work in Central Queensland provides the best of both worlds for me and allows the right work balance – and most importantly, choice to choose where I live and how I spend my weekends,” he wrote.

The inquiry committee will report to the Legislative Assembly by September 30.