DUGALD River’s FIFO commute base will be in Townsville but owning company MMG said its priority for recruitment would be Cloncurry and Mount Isa residents.
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And Mount Isa State MP Rob Katter was assured of the mining company’s commitment.
The positions will be advertised online within months as it becomes commissioned. Dugald River, in the Cloncurry Shire, will be operational before June next year.
MMG will look for maintenance, paste plant operators, process operators and service crews.
400 employees are expected to based on the mine site, said Dugald River’s operations manager Sam Rodda.
Mr Rodda said that candidates with the right skills for the job will be looked at favourably if they resided in the Mount Isa and Cloncurry shires. “The demonstrated capacity of these communities and the strong advocacy by their representatives supports our preference for local recruitment, with support from a well-regarded mining hub in Townsville,” Mr Rodda said.
“MMG has maintained ongoing engagement with local councils and peak industry bodies in Cloncurry, Mount Isa and Townsville during the development of our recruitment and employment strategy, which has focused on attracting the best possible talent to the operation.”
"...The strong advocacy by their representatives supports our preference for local recruitment."
- MMG operations manager
Mr Katter said he had strong feelings about the detriment effect that FIFO workers have on regional communities such as Mount Isa, as he had expressed previously.
He was relieved to get assurance from MMG that its priority was in finding local workers.
“I will be following the progress of the project closely with MMG. FIFO workers do nothing to grow regional centres and put back into the local economy and I am pleased that MMG recognise this with their public announcement and personal assurances to me.”
“This will be a great project and certainly a boom for the residents of Mount Isa and Cloncurry.
