Gold giant urges WA to cut close contact waits

Mining giant Northern Star is confident Western Australia will fall into line with other states by cuttingof people with COVID-19, warning the existing 14-day period would be problematic for the industry that provides most of the state’s wealth.

Northern Star is the second biggest gold miner on the ASX and has close to 5000 employees and contractors in WA, and warned of the “domino” effect that the 14-day rule would cause if the virus got into a mine site. Relaxation of the WA border is viewed as a double-edged sword for the resources industry, which will soon be able to tap a bigger pool of labour but will likely encounter higher absentee rates as the virus sweeps through the state.

Northern Star’s flagship Superpit mine near Kalgoorlie-Boulder employs both residential and fly in, fly out workers, while the company has other mines further north mostly staffed by FIFO workers. “Fly in, fly out is much easier to maintain and control, it is the residential where we see the continued interaction in the community, and then coming back to work the next day is where the challenges are,” he said.“The onus really goes onto the staff to step up and understand and be risk averse in regards to big gatherings should there be a big outbreak.”

It’s coming. Wa is going to wreak it

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