Mining towns are a significant part of Australia's landscape, and in this second episode of the series, SBS spoke with Qazi Waleed, who works a FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) schedule at a mine in Cannington, Queensland. In this conversation, he explains what a FIFO schedule actually involves, what accommodation and food arrangements look like, and how this lifestyle compares financially to city living.
According to Qazi Waleed, his FIFO roster consists of eight days on-site followed by six days off, with each working day running roughly 12 to 13 hours. He explained that every worker is given their own room with an attached bathroom, and the mess hall caters to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dietary needs — though halal options aren't available at his site, so he relies mostly on salads and fruit.
He noted that both accommodation and meals are provided entirely free of charge, and flights are also covered by the company, regardless of whether an employee is permanent or working through a contractor. Where flights aren't directly provided, salary packages include an additional allowance to cover travel costs to and from the airport.
However, Qazi Waleed says it's difficult to directly compare mining salaries to city salaries, since pay depends heavily on an individual's skill set and level of experience — noting that many people in cities like Melbourne also earn strong salary packages.
