Mining cities concerned census fails to count FIFO 'ghost population'

Mining cities in Australia are raising concerns that the upcoming 2026 Census might not accurately capture the growing fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforce population. The Australian Mining Cities Alliance, composed of six local governments including Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Mount Isa, and Broken Hill, is lobbying for improvements to the Census data collection process.

Mayor Glenn Wilson of Kalgoorlie-Boulder highlights the significant impact of FIFO work practices on the region's infrastructure and services, and emphasizes the importance of accurate population data for accessing funding opportunities. The Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport, which was built for 100,000 passenger movements per year, now handles over half a million passenger movements annually, suggesting a potential increase in the FIFO workforce population.

However, the upcoming Census results will determine whether the current estimates are accurate or if there is an undercount of this growing population segment.

Brief written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.