Norseman ‘co-living village’ hosting gold mine FIFO workers

The 206-room Norseman “co-living village” for mine workers is currently hosting more than 30 FIFO workers.

Shire of Dundas chief executive Peter Fitchat said mining company Pantoro had received a temporary permit in November to use the premises before the works being completed.

“I would say from about November, we issued a temporary permit because of the urgency of the need to get people working,” Mr Fitchat said.

Mr Fitchat said about 20 per cent of the accommodation was occupied, which equated to 30 to 40 rooms.

Resource Accommodation Management general manager Chris Jury said its company, which had experience in building and managing FIFO accommodation, would usually open venues “area by area” to meet the demands of the clients.

Mr Jury said even though both the accommodation and kitchen were operational, the company was holding off on welcoming Norseman residents in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

He said locals had embraced the opportunities created by having FIFO accommodation in town, and the company was “working hard” to keep people on board.

“I’m sure there are people that would prefer that the mine wasn’t reopened and the accommodation wasn’t in town. But we’re working hard to have local employment and create those opportunities within Norseman and we’re working very closely with counsel on that,” Mr Jury said.

He said phase 1 of the accommodation had already been completed, with an additional 61 rooms set to be available by mid-2022, along with a cafe.