ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights some implications of rural change in Australia changes, drawing upon one particular location, which historically depended on agriculture but has undergone redefinition through mining. In particular, the rush to mine has seen the entrenchment of workforce arrangements largely dependent on fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) workers. Global demand for minerals and energy products has fuelled Australia's recent 'resources boom' and led to the rapid expansion of mining projects not solely in remote regions but increasingly in long-settled traditionally agriculture-dependent rural areas. The chapter draws upon extensive qualitative research in the 'Bramely' Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the Bowen Basin. Most non-resident workers (NRWs) in Serveton lived in work camps where general conduct was regarded as 'fairly well controlled'. Recognising the full extent of NRW numbers would not only determine fairer allocations of government funding but is also crucial for weighing impacts on frontline rural communities.
