A survey of 65 Western Australian resources sector companies found they contributed more than $1.1 billion to the Peel economy in 2019-20 and created 6238 fulltime jobs for residents of the region.
The survey asked Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA (CME) member companies in the mining, oil and gas, energy and contractor industries how much they contributed and where.
CME Chief Executive Paul Everingham said the results showed the extent to which the WA mining and resources sector underpinned economies and communities around WA, and also across Australia.
“The resource sector workforce should be extremely proud of the way our sector has been able to operate both safely and effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Everingham said.
“The CME member companies involved in this survey directly employed 6238 people who lived in the Peel area, and either worked locally or at operations in other parts of the State. These workers were paid wages totalling more than $872 million.
“Those companies spent an additional $264 million supporting 259 Peel businesses, 23 community organisations, and four out of five local governments in the region.
“The analysis also found supply chain spending by those companies created an additional 984 jobs in the Peel region and generated more than $150 million in indirect gross value add for local economies. About one in seven full-time jobs in the area had some connection to the sector."
Mr Everingham said the economic benefits generated by Peel operations also spread beyond the region.
“We know there are workers in Perth, Great Southern and the South West who would travel to Peel sites to work,” Mr Everingham said.
“Additionally, because this data is collected by financial year [2019-20] we won’t yet be seeing the full effects of COVID-19, for example the relocation of workers closer to sites in 2020-21."
The data collected from 65 member companies covers more than 150 operational sites across the State, representing 70 per cent of the WA resources sector by production.
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