World · East Asia & Pacific · 1 hr ago
Advocates warn standards are slipping in remote mine camps
Advocates say accommodation standards are slipping at remote mine sites as Australia’s resources sector expands.
Fly-in fly-out workers can live in anything from motel-style rooms to demountable cabins, and some say isolation makes comfortable, clean rooms and reliable internet important.
Western Australia is considering a draft accommodation code covering amenities such as door locks, outdoor lighting, beds and internet.
The code followed revelations of widespread sexual harassment on site and received feedback from 50 organisations.
Companies would not have to follow the code, but it could be used in court if a hazard was not properly managed; the WA government says it expects final endorsement next year.
Advocates also want a round-the-clock contact point for families, while a researcher argues that the camp environment affects workers’ wellbeing and that basic improvements could benefit companies.
Researchers in the Pilbara have also found workers were afraid to speak up about accommodation issues.
Advocates say basic accommodation standards at remote mine sites are slipping as Australia’s resources sector expands.
A draft Western Australian code of practice sets out recommended amenities, but mining companies will not be legally required to follow it.
The code’s feedback period closed in June, and the state department says it is due for final endorsement next year.
Workers and researchers have raised concerns about isolation, unstable room arrangements and barriers to speaking up.
- Who
- FIFO workers and advocates, including Vicky Pellowe of the FIFO Family Project, are at the centre of the story.
- What
- Advocates warn that accommodation standards at remote mine sites are slipping and seek basic minimum standards.
- When
- The article was published on 13 November 2026. Feedback on the draft code closed in June.
- Where
- Remote mine sites in Australia, with a focus on Western Australia and Queensland.
- Why
- Advocates cite isolation, poor or inconsistent accommodation and concerns about workers’ psychosocial wellbeing.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Mineral Resources built Mungala Resort for its Pilbara workers.
The feedback period for the draft accommodation code closed.
BHP’s iron ore and port operations saw a wave of industrial action.
Jack Tooley’s study was published in the journal Safety Science.
The Department of Local Government, Industry Relations, and Safety says the code will receive final endorsement.
- Submissions
- 50 organisations submitted to the Western Australian government on the draft code.
- Draft code
- Recommends deadbolts, improved outdoor lighting, king-single beds and reliable Internet connections.
- Legal status
- Mining companies will not be legally bound to follow the code.
- Research interviews
- Edith Cowan University researchers approached 20 people in the Pilbara for in-depth interviews.
- Modelling
- Jack Tooley’s consultancy estimated that improvements could generate about $1.6 billion in annual revenue.
What people are saying
It needs to be comfortable, clean and connected.
In this day and age of 2026, we need to make sure that there are some regulatory bare minimum standards.
If you put 80,000 Australians into an environment that emulates a prison, the results are speaking for themselves.
What that means is that people can't have their photos, they can't have certain homelike things that they would usually have.