City ready for the end of the boom

Busselton business with links to the resources sector are adapting to the mining downturn, operators say.

About 5000 jobs have been lost in the past year as the industry hits a slump and mines from Albany to the Kimberley cut back.

Busselton Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ray McMillan said the changes were to be expected as the sector moved from a construction to a production phase.

Mr McMillan said there would be a growing need for maintenance services — an opportunity which Busselton businesses and contractors could capitalise on.

Pindari Integrated Labour Solutions executive director Natalie Venosi said the company had anticipated the changes.

Ms Venosi said although Pindari provided some services to blue chip companies and contractors in the construction phase, its work was mostly in operations, maintenance and refurbishments.

“This area of work is fairly sustainable; however, without a long-term supply contract, which is hard to come by, it can be affected by the client choosing to do it in-house, creating fluctuations on the demand for our services,” she said.

Ms Venosi said it was a time for consolidating and the company continued to build alliances and diversify its client base and services to suit the market.

Beyond Safety owner Belinda Stocker said the company had a considerable mining customer base and had definitely noticed the downturn in the industry.

She said income and growth would be maintained through diversification and service.

Mining equipment was still being delivered and commissioned, and some projects were three to four months behind, Ms Stocker said.

“What we are seeing is a temporary downturn followed by an upswing,” she said.

As expansion projects neared completion the demand for local fly-in, fly-out workers had declined, but more would be required for mining production.

Busselton was recognised as a preferred catchment area for skilled mine workers, so the community would be beneficiaries of long term growth underpinned by ongoing global demand, Ms Stocker said.