WA inquiry investigates FIFO suicide in the Pilbara

 
MARK COLVIN: A parliamentary inquiry into mental health problems among fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers in Western Australia will look at whether or not resources companies are doing enough to prevent suicides.
The inquiry was called after nine fly-in fly-out workers in the state committed suicide in the past 12 months.
Resources reporter Sue Lannin.

SUE LANNIN: Working on an oil and gas rig is highly paid work, but it's also hard, with long hours in remote parts of Australia in harsh, often very hot conditions.
Now the WA Parliament will hold an inquiry after nine fly-in fly-out workers took their lives over the past year in the Pilbara.

GRAHAM JACOBS: There's potentially, with isolation, family disconnect, high compression rosters. We should have a look at this.

SUE LANNIN: The inquiry chairman and Government backbencher, Dr Graham Jacobs, today announced the terms of reference for the inquiry.

GRAHAM JACOBS: What services are available for FIFO workers onsite? Is there a mental health first aid facility, who is onsite for counselling, who is onsite to provide advice, who's onsite to provide services and what services we can wrap around those isolated camps?

SUE LANNIN: A man at the Gorgon gas project on Barrow Island become the latest FIFO worker to take his life earlier this month.
Nicole Ashby is from the support group, FIFO Families.

NICOLE ASHBY: I think if you have a predisposition to mental health such as, you know, depression or bipolar and then if you choose to go and work on a long roster, such as you know four weeks on, one week off, I think that that could further amplify a pre-existing issues.

SUE LANNIN: Steve McCartney is the WA secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. He's been campaigning for several years for an inquiry into mental health issues facing FIFO workers.

STEVE MCCARTNEY: Because we believe they're preventable. We believe we need the systems in place to make it happen.

SUE LANNIN: The WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy, which represents the mining industry, says it will make a submission to the inquiry.
But deputy chief executive Nicole Roocke says there is no evidence that FIFO workers have a greater incidence of mental health issues.

NICOLE ROOCKE: There's certainly been some recent assertions that there may be a higher occurrence of mental health issues associated with FIFO employment but we have yet to see any research that substantiates that.

SUE LANNIN: Graham Jacobs say the inquiry will force companies to attend to give evidence if necessary.

GRAHAM JACOBS: But I don't think that will be necessary because we want, we all want to be part of this and to make a difference.

SUE LANNIN: The inquiry is expected to hand down its initial findings later this year.

MARK COLVIN: Sue Lannin.


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