Shire of Roebourne Local Planning Strategy

Shire of Roebourne Local Planning StrategyTechnical Report A1: Economic Development StrategyDuration of employment – FIFO workersDuration of Employment Construction FIFO workers Operations FIFO workersless than 1 yr 32% 30%1 to 2 yrs 36% 18%3 to 5 yrs 27% 16%6 to 9 yrs 0% 6%10+ yrs 5% 21%Total 27.8% 72.2%Source: Geographia SurveyThe Geographia survey also found that while access to health services is very important, the range andquality of community services is not high on the factors affecting whether or not to relocate to the Shire.The main factors affecting relocation decisions for FIFO workers in the 2012 survey are: Cheaper accommodation & more housing choice; Better hospital & medical services; Lower cost of living; More cafes & restaurants; and Better shopping.The figures for overall FIFO workforce size above are of the same order of magnitude but at a littlevariance from those reported in the 2012 AEC Group report 10 , which estimates a 2012 Shire populationof 20,172 and a FIFO workforce of 10,719. This would indicate a current core service population ofaround 30,900. Of this a large proportion is involved in the construction phase of minerals resourcesprojects. It size and nature will change as the resources projects now under construction move towardsan operational phase and if the economy diversifies away from its current resources base.There are good indications that a very high proportion of the current FIFO workforce is in the constructionsector and that the current high rate of short-term accommodation demand is driven by constructionactivity for major projects. At some stage in the medium term this activity will decrease substantially andthe construction sector in the Shire will then resemble that found in a relatively stable community.10Fly-In Fly-Out Worker Economic Impact Assessment on Services and Infrastructure Delivered by Local Government in thePilbara Region, AEC Group, June 201220