Plan to fly in to Albany

One thousand fly-in, fly-out workers could be based in Albany after a plan created by a businessman and former resident for inclusion in the soon-to-be-completed Great Southern Regional Blueprint.

David Juers, who owns property in Albany, has proposed a strategy to get mining companies to divert part of their FIFO workforce to Albany, relocating workers currently commuting between Perth and remote mine sites.

The plan is to be considered for the Great Southern Development Commission’s Great Southern Regional Blueprint, which will set out transformational projects for the region.

Mr Juers said a 1000-strong FIFO workforce based in Albany was a “realistic target” to help increase the population in Albany and had received positive feedback from local businesses.

He said Albany has good rail, road, air and port infrastructure to support the resources industry.

Mr Juers said the timing was right to make deals, as many mines were moving from construction to operational phases.

“When Grange (Resources’ joint venture Southdown mine) was a more immediate prospect, there was a significant level of interest. There were 450 expressions of interest to move to the area,” he said.

Mr Juers said flow-on benefits of the plan included an expansion of educational facilities and the retention of young people in the city.

“(The) opportunity for employment and injection of well-paid families into the community would breathe life into struggling local businesses, provide more opportunities in the housing market, opening up more land and creating jobs in the building industry,” he wrote in the report.

Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Russ Clark said the proposal was an expansion of the current arrangement with Rio Tinto.

“I think that the plan has a lot of merit, it would be very good for the region,” he said.

“Employees would be spending that larger wage locally.

“From a lifestyle point of view, Albany is a good place to live, in terms of housing affordability, a good hospital and education.”

GSDC chairman Peter Rundle said more than 100 stakeholders were consulted during the writing of the draft regional blueprint, which was set to be the “pre-eminent document for the region”.

Mr Rundle said he could not yet comment on the extent the FIFO project would feature in the blueprint which was to soon be presented to the Regional Development Minister and department.

Mr Juers called for a taskforce to oversee a FIFO initiative.