Coal projects to boost regional living

Coal seam gas projects in central Queensland are set to boost population numbers living in surrounding regional towns, according to national engineering and surveying firm Fyfe.

Fyfe has encouraged staff working on coal seam gas projects to relocate to central Queensland instead of flying in and flying out of capital cities Australia-wide.

Mark Dayman, managing director of Fyfe, said the firm currently had about 100 people working on coal seam gas projects out of its offices at Roma and Chinchilla in rural Queensland, with a third of those residents of nearby towns, the rest being fly-in fly-out (FIFO) staff.

“We are looking to reduce the number of FIFO employees by encouraging staff in our Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin offices to consider a move to Chinchilla, Roma or other nearby towns,” he said.

“We believe there are a number of advantages in having people based in the area in which they work. It gives our clients some consistency in the people they deal with, provides staff with a sense of ownership of the projects on which they are working and it also makes a contribution to the local communities.”

Dayman also outlined that it would benefit employees and their families as they could be together “rather than separated for days or weeks at a time”.

Both Roma and Chinchilla have grown since the coal seam gas projects began. “Central Queensland will undergo rapid development as these industries grow and we see long-term opportunities for both companies and individuals who relocate to this area,” said Dayman.

Fyfe has incentivised staff to encourage relocation and are also looking to employ qualified locals.