In October 2024, hotel, pub and cafe operators in Kalgoorlie-Boulder said mining camps were keeping some fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers from spending money in town. But the owners did not point to camps alone: one pub owner said cost-of-living pressure was the bigger hit, while the city’s mayor said he had received no indication that local accommodation providers were struggling to fill vacancies. The accounts describe a dispute, not a verified measure of the citywide economic impact—and they do not show whether conditions continued after the report.
What Kalgoorlie-Boulder hospitality owners said
In a PerthNow report published October 15, 2024, owners of hotels, cafes and pubs described weaker trade as mining companies and contractors housed workers in camps rather than in town. Their concern was that workers who stayed, ate and spent at camp added less foot traffic and revenue to local businesses.
Ashok Parekh, owner of the Palace Hotel, said the hotel had been almost full for two years before it reached 70 percent vacancies after FIFO workers moved into camps. He said he would prefer tourism guests to fill rooms, but viewed the shift to camps as one factor in lost local trade.
Parekh also said Hannan Street eateries had told him they had experienced a 25 percent decrease in trade since May and were struggling to pay rent. That figure was his account of what other business owners had told him; the report did not provide a survey or audited measure.
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How owners described the effect on local spending
Workers staying and eating at camp
Cafe owner Umer Saleem said workers on 12-hour shifts ate inside camps, returned to work and then flew out, leaving less money circulating in the community. The concern was not simply where workers slept: it was that camp-based routines could also keep meals and other spending on site.
Fewer people on the street
Jai Bhardwaj, general manager of the Plaza Hotel, said camps should not become a permanent solution. He raised concerns about workers’ experience as well as the loss of foot traffic for businesses in town.
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Why the mayor saw a different picture
Kalgoorlie-Boulder mayor Glenn Wilson called the business owners’ concerns understandable, but said the city had received no indication that accommodation providers were struggling to fill vacancies. That is a different account from Parekh’s description of vacancies at his own hotel; the report does not reconcile the two or establish a citywide vacancy rate.
Wilson said the city had to balance community needs with the economic benefits of projects and recognized that temporary accommodation can be needed for specialist workers or short project phases, such as shutdowns and construction. He invited businesses employing FIFO workforces to engage local businesses on possible solutions. He also said housing vacancy rates remained low, reflecting a broader housing crisis.
Cost-of-living pressure was another explanation
Craig Alderdice, owner of the Kalgoorlie Hotel, said camps may have contributed to fewer people on Hannan Street, but that cost-of-living pressures were the biggest factor affecting his pub. He described some weeks as 50 percent down, followed by a recovery toward previous levels. The report did not state how those changes were measured.
Alderdice said customers were looking after their money and called on government to pause six-monthly beer tax increases for at least 12 months. Both the trading figures and the policy appeal were his account, not independently verified findings.
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What the reported figures do—and do not—show
| Reported figure | Who gave it | What it refers to |
|---|---|---|
| 70 percent vacancies | Ashok Parekh, Palace Hotel owner, as reported by PerthNow on October 15, 2024 | His hotel, after FIFO workers moved into camps; no measurement method was reported. |
| 25 percent decrease in trade since May | Ashok Parekh, relaying what Hannan Street eatery owners had told him, as reported by PerthNow on October 15, 2024 | Reported trade at those eateries; no survey, measurement method or independent verification was reported. |
| 50 percent down in some weeks | Craig Alderdice, Kalgoorlie Hotel owner, as reported by PerthNow on October 15, 2024 | His pub’s performance in some weeks; the report did not specify a comparison period or measurement method. |
These are individual accounts, not official city statistics. The report did not give audited occupancy or sales data, count all affected businesses, or establish that the figures represented Kalgoorlie-Boulder hospitality as a whole. It also did not establish current camp use, vacancies or trade after October 2024.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Are FIFO camps hurting Kalgoorlie businesses?
The owners described a plausible local effect: when workers stay and eat at camps, some spending and visits may be diverted from town businesses. The same report also records Wilson’s account that the city had not heard accommodation providers were struggling to fill vacancies, and Alderdice’s view that cost-of-living pressure was the bigger factor for his pub.
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The available accounts therefore support a disagreement about how camps, housing constraints and household budgets were affecting local trade—not a definitive conclusion about the scale of camp-related losses across the city. They are also time-bound: they describe what interviewees said in October 2024, not necessarily the situation today.
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