cfmeu-miners: camp audit report - june 2015

June 2015

Inside Queensland’s mining camps and why we need a better deal for workers and communities

CAMP LIFE

The fabric of communities across Central Queensland’s coal mining belt is changing dramatically.

It is a shock to see the once thriving towns like Dysart and Moranbah become surrounded and strangled by the ever-growing number of mining camps springing up around them.

Meanwhile, the experience for more and more mineworkers is of commuting and spending extended periods of time living in temporary camp accommodation.

The trend in mining towards commuting workforces and and camp accommodation is having a major impact on many people’s lives – community members and workers alike – yet it marches onward with little scrutiny or public discussion.

As things stand:

there are no enforced minimum standards across camps ensuring workers are housed in safe, quality accommodation

workers often have no say about whether they can live in a local town or must be housed in a camp to get a job

workers living in camps have little privacy or independence and restricted freedom of movement

camps barely engage with nearby communities and make negligible contribution to local economies

camps are temporary constructions that make no long term infrastructure contribution to nearby towns and communities

For most Australians, the issue of temporary accommodation camps is ‘out of sight, out of mind’.

Camps are not an issue only in the Bowen Basin, they have become a feature of the resources industry across northern Australia from east to west.

We have produced this short report to shine a light on the fallout of the rapid expansion of temporary accommodation camps in Central Queensland and make the case for a better deal for workers, families and communities.

We hope you’ll join this discussion and support the case for action.

Tony Maher CFMEU National President

Out of sight, out of mind

2 | CAMP LIFE | June 2015

BackgroundCommuting workers living in camps during their work roster include fly in fly out (FIFO), drive in drive out (DIDO) and bus in bus out (BIBO).

FIFO work began in the 1960s when it was used for onshore and offshore oil rigs. By the 1980s, commuting workers had become common in the remote resource sector. Since then, the use of commuting workforces has increased dramatically and is no longer restricted to remote areas, with camps being set up alongside established communities.

Rapid growth of camps A decade ago, there were just over 1,500 beds for temporary workers near Central Queensland mining town Moranbah. The town’s population of just over 9,000 is now overshadowed by almost 10,000 beds in the area, with thousands more approved and pending construction.

In the Bowen Basin alone, there are currently 69 camps and a total of approximately 32,000 beds.

In the past, it has been more common for commuting workers to live in nearby towns in share houses. Now they are most often required to stay in camps as a condition of employment.

Gruelling schedules Commuting workers often work 12 hours per day, which can be 14 hours with travel time between the camp and the mine. This can be much longer on the first or last day of a roster. Our survey of commuting mineworkers found nearly a third travel five or more hours between home and work.

Many commuting workers also work long rosters meaning long stretches away from home. Especially during the construction phase of resources projects, workers living in camp accommodation for three weeks out of four.

Company incentives Companies are rewarded by tax breaks if they use camps and commuting workers. They are able to avoid fringe benefits tax, their employees are often able to claim living

away from home allowances and zone tax offsets on top of their wage, and FIFO expenses including flights and accommodation are written off as costs of production.

Companies also choose to use commuting workers because they are a more transient and less unionised workforce.

Lack of data Camps housing commuting workers have grown quickly and mostly under the public radar. There has been little serious research into their extent and impacts.

The 2013 Windsor Report into FIFO “Cancer of the Bush or Salvation of our Cities” noted the lack of data about the extent and impact of FIFO and camps in regional Australia:

“There is very little authoritative national data available… therefore it is difficult to establish the extent of the use of FIFO arrangements in the resource industry.”

“Even with the paucity of data on the extent of FIFO in regional Australia, there can be no doubt that the prevalence of this practice is having a profound impact on communities.”

Camps profitableRunning camps has now become a profitable business as many mining companies employ service providers to set up and provide accommodation services.

Volatile industryWorkers have little choice over their living and working conditions, a trend exacerbated by widespread job losses in mining. Our survey found high levels of job insecurity among commuting mineworkers, with 69% concerned about losing their current job.

Stress for workers The commuting lifestyle is known for the high levels of stress it can cause workers and their families as isolation and punishing rosters take their toll. Over the past year in the Pilbara region of WA, nine FIFO workers took their lives, prompting a parliamentary inquiry into mental health issues among FIFO workers in WA.

Facts about camps and commuting workers

No standards, no choiceThe rapid growth in construction of temporary worker camps in the Bowen Basin has gone ahead with few rules and little regulation.

Although there are guidelines* on the development of camps in Queensland that sound fair and reasonable, any survey of mining camps across the state reveals that standards simply aren’t enforced.

Commuting workers cope with tough rosters, large periods of time away from their families, fatigue, isolation and a work environment which is increasingly insecure. For these workers, a high standard of accommodation is especially important.

This report raises some of the issues experienced by workers and communities and demands a serious effort from government at all levels to raise and enforce camp standards.

Most importantly, camp accommodation must be a choice, not compulsory for workers as a term of employment. Workers should be able to live locally in the community if they choose.

*Non-resident worker accommodation, PDA Guideline no. 3, March 2014.

3CAMP LIFE | June 2015 |

Inside Central Queensland campsCamp standards vary, but most provide workers with a small single room with a bathroom. Set meal times are usually provided and workers take a packed lunch to site. Camps usually also have some recreational facilities, a camp bar and a mini supermarket.

The size of the camps ranges from 500 in the smallest camps ranging to larger camps like Coppabella with 5,000 beds.

There are no industry standards for mining camps, with facilities ranging from excellent to very poor. The better camps have great facilities, including tennis courts, swimming pools, on site gymnasiums, outdoor

barbeque spaces, good quality food, healthy eating programs and decent sized rooms with large TVs, air conditioning, wireless internet and a king single bed.

The worst camps have small, sometimes windowless ‘dongas’, and are very densely inhabited with little open space, low quality and repetitive food, and lack recreation facilities. Some camps are badly lit, so female residents don’t feel safe walking around at night.

Facilities aside, many workers complain about the level of control exerted by employers, even when they are in their accommodation. This includes control over movement within the camp and coming and going. Workers can face disciplinary measures for leaving their camp without permission.

Setting the standard

Cramped conditions

Coppabella MAC camp One of the larger camps, Coppabella has about 5,000 beds and is just under an hour’s drive away from Moranbah. The camp is well landscaped, has facilities including a pool, tennis court and gym. Rooms have a king single bed, ensuite, air-conditioning, a fridge, kettle, tv and wifi.

The Village, BlackwaterAt The Village in Blackwater, some rooms were extremely small, with 3.5m by 8m blocks housing three rooms.


Eureka Village Before entering Eureka village all visitors must stop at boom gates where their name, contact details and car registration are all taken by security. Inside, one block of rooms is located so close to the sewerage system that sometimes it has to be evacuated because of the smell. The camp, which accommodates 1500 people, is also close to the mine and the sirens from the plant equipment frequently wake workers.

Rosewood Accommodation Village, BlackwaterOriginally Rosewood camp was built as a temporary camp to last for two years. This camp has now been housing workers for more than 15 years, as it keeps getting license renewals for six and 12 month periods.

The shoddy buildings are an eyesore and resented by the Blackwater community.

Dysart MAC camp Even when the facilities are good, a major issue for workers is the level of control imposed by employers.

For one worker living in the Dysart MAC camp, camp arrangements are all about controlling the workforce. “They own you from when you leave in the morning to travel to work, in the bus, and while you are staying in the camp,” he said.

Command and control

Noisy and smelly

Not built to last


Workers’ experience of camps

Access to town: Some camps sit on the edges of towns and others are quite isolated, with no provided transport to travel in to the town.

Only 14% of commuting workers said that transport was provided to local shops and community facilities.Choice: Regardless of the conditions in the camps, workers need to have a real choice about their lifestyle. This includes the option of being able to live outside the camp where there are local communities close to the mine.

“If they offered share accommodation in the town I’d take it up. I reckon a lot of others would, too”

Use of facilities: While camps might have good facilities, schedules can mean workers don’t use them.

“We have good facilities like a pool and a gym, but no one uses them because of the long shifts and the times the food is scheduled for. So if you get back from your 14 hour day at 7.30pm its either you exercise, or you eat dinner – you’re not going to exercise after dinner.”

Hoteling and ‘hot bedding’: Many workers complain that they are given a different room each time even when workers had a very consistent roster and stayed at the same camp. They can’t leave any gear behind and they never have the same neighbours - making a sense of community difficult.

“We have a “hotel” system so we never get the same room - we have to pack up everything at the end of the swing”

“I want a permanent room. No need to hot bed anymore.”

Fatigue: Lack of access to rooms after their last rostered shift discouraged DIDO workers from resting before making the long commute home. Some workers also complained that check in times for night shifts were restricted, meaning they could not check in with enough time to have a proper sleep before their shifts.

“Rooms are only available to book into after 2.00pm. It should be earlier if you are booking in for nightshift.”

“Accommodation is not available after our last shift so we can’t sleep before driving home”

“We must book out by 10am on our last day of shift – what about fatigue management?”

30% of those living in camps in the Bowen Basin use a ‘hot bed’, meaning that someone else uses their room while they are on shift. Noise disturbance in the camps also contributed to workers’ fatigue. Workers complained of noise from cleaning, thin walls separating them from their neighbours and gardening equipment.

“I’m currently in a camp only a couple of minutes drive to the workplace, so you can hear everything going on – trucks, dozers, trains and emergency sirens.”

80% of commuting workers say fatigue is a big issue in their workplace and 31% don’t think safety is taken seriously by their employer.

Control: In some camps, workers report feeling like they are constantly under surveillance. There were reports of workers being fired because they had left the camps without having prior authorisation from management.

“There is security everywhere in the camps. It’s really hard to relax and feel at home, it’s like they are keeping tabs on you.”

“Security is over the top and controlling”

“Cameras are positioned everywhere in the village, infringing on privacy”

“I am not to leave the site unless approved by management”

“The company and camp management go through the contents of your room when you are not on site - they say this is a room inspection.”

Almost half (47%) of commuting workers say their employer is very controlling even when they are at their accommodation.Workers at Nebo MAC camp use aluminium foil to block out the

sunlight while they are on night shift


A typical room at Dysart MAC camp measures 3.1 x 3.6m. Not including the shower, the bathroom is a tiny 2.3m x 0.9m.

Stress: Isolation, fatigue and extended periods away from home contribute to stress for many commuting workers.

A majority (58%) of commuting workers said that their current work arrangements caused stress and 54% said they caused stress for their families.Stress and isolation have a detrimental impact on mental health. This year around Australia, there have been more deaths in camps than there have been deaths on mine sites.

Security for women: “I have requested that they don’t put me in a room in the dark corners of the camp but sometimes they still do, and I don’t always feel safe walking in the dark.”

Cleanliness: “The rooms are not cleaned that well, I always wear thongs in the room because the floor is grubby.”

Food: “It’s the same food day in, day out – I wouldn’t say that it’s good quality. To be honest I’m well and truly sick of it.”

Only 41% of commuting workers said they had good access to good quality food.Medical: Access to quality medical facilities is a major issue for workers in camps.

“When I was sick recently my family had to drive out to bring me back to Mackay so I could attend a doctors consult and obtain antibiotics because I could not access transport into town or be guaranteed a medical consult when I badly needed one.”

Only 49% of commuting workers rated their access to medical facilities as good. Communications: Access to communications so that workers can keep in touch with families are essential for commuting workers. However many camps do not provide internet access or mobile phone coverage.

58% of commuting mineworkers have phone access at their accommodation and 59% have access to Facebook or social media.


Impact on communitiesCamps may be out of sight, out of mind for most Australians – but for the local residents of regional communities their impacts are all too obvious.

Growing preference for commuting workers or 100% FIFO workforces are causing once vibrant regional towns to diminish – not because there is no work available in the area, but because it is only being offered to commuting workers.

The transient population created by camps can put pressure on local services, particularly doctors. At the same time, this population generally contributes very little to the community, as camps are largely self-contained, supplying food, recreational services and cleaning services directly to workers.

Camps can coexist with regional communities – but local workers must be able to apply for jobs in local mines, and all workers need to have the choice about whether or not to adopt the commuting lifestyle.

82% of commuting workers believe companies have an obligation to ensure local businesses and communities are supported.

Recent job cuts and company preference for a FIFO workforce is hurting the once thriving Central Queensland community of Dysart.

Hundreds of houses are vacant and house prices have slumped dramatically. Empty retail space dominates the town centre, a sign that shopkeepers can no longer afford the rent.

For locals still living in Dysart, it is clear: their community is no longer benefitting from the wealth coming out of the nearby coalmines. A preference for FIFO workers has meant many locals are out of work, or have had to move away from the town. Those still in their jobs are anxious about their future.

Camps on the outskirts of the town bring little benefit for the local community. They are largely self-sufficient and while they cause a drain on community health services, they contribute very little to the local economy.

Community dying: Dysart


What the Dysart community says:

Moranbah: a great place to raise a family

Denise and her husband Russell, who works at a nearby coalmine, live in Moranbah with their three kids. The family has lived locally for 12 years and have just renovated their house.

The family enjoys living in Moranbah but Denise is worried about the impact of increasing numbers of commuting workers on the town. “The camps are getting bigger, but everything else is getting smaller,” Denise says.

“Its not right that you can have a mine only 15 minutes away from the town, but locals can’t even get a job there.”

She is also concerned that many workers aren’t offered the option of living locally. “Moranbah is a great place to raise a family, and we really enjoy living here. It’s also important to us that Russell can spend time with his kids when he’s not working,” says Denise. “Some people like the FIFO arrangement. But they should still have that that choice.”

“I’m closing my shop because there is no life left in the town. It’s not just me – FIFO is having a devastating impact on the whole community,”

– Local small business owner

“The camps all have their own bar, their own laundry, their own gym and gym instructors, their food is trucked in from Brisbane – the baker here can’t even sell them bread! How is this helping the town?”

- Local community member“There is plenty of work here, but not for the locals”

– Local shop owner

“FIFO is killing us”

– Local community member


100% compulsory FIFOBMA mines Daunia and Caval Ridge are both located within 30 km from Moranbah town, where recent job cuts have meant many skilled mineworkers living locally are out of a job.

But despite living only a short drive away from these mines, local workers are locked out. To apply for a job at either Daunia or Caval Ridge, workers have to reside in Brisbane or Cairns.

BMA’s 100% compulsory FIFO policy at these mines actively discriminates against local workers – and does not give commuting workers a choice about their living arrangements.

71% of commuting workers do not think employers should be allowed to employ a 100% FIFO workforce and 96% say companies should allow locals access to jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.

Employers who only hire FIFO or other commuting workers not only discriminate against local mineworkers: they also limit the lifestyle options for workers and their families.

100% compulsory FIFO arrangements mean that workers who want to live closer to the mines do not have that option.

Insisting that FIFO workers live in camps also prevents those workers from living in and engaging with the community during the period they are working. Many would rent share houses in town if they had the opportunity.

While FIFO works well for many people, some workers want to enjoy the community-based lifestyle that a regional community offers. Many families see the benefits of raising their children in these communities.

57% of commuting workers did not have a choice about the type of commute (76% of FIFO workers).Almost 40% of commuting workers would prefer to work within driving distance of where they live.

Importance of choice


100% compulsory FIFO Camps and communities: A better future

To work towards a better future for mineworkers and mining communities, we believe all stakeholders and levels of government must work together. We can’t simply leave it to the workers and communities themselves to deal with the fallout of FIFO and camps.

We need: Minimum standards for camps: including room size, heating and cooling, quality food and recreational facilities.

Rights for workers in camps: including freedom of movement and association.

Fatigue management regulations, so workers living in temporary accommodation camps can always rest between, before and after shifts when they need to.

Guaranteed access to communication and medical facilities for workers in camps.

Transport to shops and community facilities provided where there are nearby towns.

Economic engagement between camps and nearby communities, to make sure local communities benefit.

No more 100% compulsory FIFO operations and a real choice for workers, to stay in town if they choose to commute, or to live locally with their families.

A commitment from government and industry to the future of regional mining communities.

An end to the tax breaks companies receive for flights and camp accommodation, to remove the incentive for prioritising FIFO arrangements.


Report produced by the CFMEU, June 2015.

We must do better.

cfmeu-miners: camp audit report - june 2015

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