There seems to be a higher degree of violence in areas where miners work on a ‘fly in and fly’ out basis in Australia. As per research conducted in Queensland and Western Australia there are more cases of violent assaults in the mining community here than in other states.
The two states have double the average rate of violent assaults that other states have, the studies of Professor Kerry Carrington have found. The Queensland University of Technology researcher said that serious social problems result from the ‘fly in and fly out’ work force model.
The three year study found that the miners used alcohol and drugs in the isolated environment where they worked. This naturally resulted in more brawls over women, sex workers and spilled drinks giving violence a major spike in the regions.
The report which was published in the British Journal of Criminology listed boredom, high disposable income, gender imbalance and alcohol as causes for other crimes and increase in violence. This is the first research into the social impact of the mining boom.
Professor Kerry Carrington feels that the mining boom which is going to see $ 116 billion worth of new projects will only add to the devastation of the social fibre in these regions.