Martin Ferguson
Minister for Resources and Energy
Minister for Tourism
Jan McLucas
Senator for Queensland
Skilled workers in the Cairns region, including unemployed job-seekers, will find it easier to work in remote areas thanks to an Australian Government Fly-In Fly-Out pilot project.
Delivering on the Government’s election commitment, the appointment of a Fly-In Fly-Out Coordinator will match jobseekers with mining, construction and infrastructure projects in remote areas across North Queensland.
Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP said the Government is firmly committed to targeting funding at practical, industry-based solutions to deliver skilled workers where they are needed.
“Finding skilled workers has always been a problem for big industrial projects in remote areas,” Minister Ferguson said.
“The resources boom is creating an immediate and ongoing need to maintain the talent pool of skilled workers. This Fly-In Fly-Out project will match able workers with willing employers.
“It’s just one of the ways in which the National Resources Sector Workforce Strategy is working to plug gaps in the labour and skills market.
“Basing the Fly-In Fly-Out Co-ordinator in Cairns is a practical outcome from the Australian Government's work with the local community to help diversify the economy and reduce the high level of unemployment in that region.”
The Australian Government will fund an industry-based organisation to pilot the Fly-In Fly-Out coordinator role over the next two years. The pilot project could be rolled out to other regional centres.
“This project helps mining, construction and infrastructure projects find the calibre of workforce they need to keep generating prosperity in the Cairns region,” said Senator for Queensland, Jan McLucas.
“The Coordinator will set up training and employment pathways for skilled workers and unemployed job seekers alike, and put mining companies in touch with airlines too,” Senator McLucas said.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) will seek applications from suitable industry-based organisations in the Cairns region to pilot this role.
More information is available at www.deewr.gov.au/resourcesworkforce.