The Australian Mining Cities Alliance has called on the parties in the federal election to tune into "the real issues" affecting mining regions that underpin the national economy.
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Deputy Mayor of the Mount Isa City Council and AMCA Chair Phil Barwick said the critical need for mining town families was affordable housing and sustainable communities.
"Our key workers who don't work in the mines but service the economic and social needs that the mines generate, need support to allow them to establish roots in our towns and cities," Cr Barwick said.
"But their chance of realising the 'Australian Dream' of home ownership is slipping away. They are the backbone of mining communities and truly deserve affordable housing to continue to do their important work."
Cr Barwick said ACMA wanted those workers to build their homes and raise their family in their mining communities.
"But over many years we have witnessed extreme volatility in housing markets in our mining cities and regions, which cannot be eliminated by normal market conventions," he said.
"We believe this is the time for the government to do something about it.
Cr Barwick said AMCA launched its 'More Than Mining' campaign which proposes simple reform to address critical housing affordability barriers in mining cities and towns.
"We call on those aspiring to lead the next government to remove inequities particularly in the application of Fringe Benefits Tax concessions," he said.
"We were pleased to see the constructive acknowledgement of this initiative in the recently released report titled 'The Australian Dream, Inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia' by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue."
Cr Barwick said it was now time for candidates for this election to commit to action.
"In addition to housing affordability, our mining communities are heavily impacted by the Fly-In, Fly-Out arrangements favoured by many mining companies, We call on candidates to commit to re-activation of dormant recommendations of previous inquiries and enhance the sustainability of mining communities," he said.
"In particular we seek real action on three of the key recommendations made in the report titled "Cancer of the bush or salvation for our cities? Fly-in, fly-out and drive-in, drive-out workforce practices in Regional Australia" by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia (February 2013).
"The Government has a clear responsibility to these communities to monitor the impacts of FIFO and to manage them."
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