Kira Gusterson heard rumours of a 'Pilbara tax' before she moved to the iron ore mining region — but she was still shocked by the cost of living.
abc.net.au/news/cost-of-living-pilbara-mining-towns/102092260Kira Gusterson heard rumours of a "Pilbara tax" before she moved to the iron ore mining region in northern Western Australia.
But not everyone living in the northern towns is tapped into the resources sector, and those who are not find the dollar just doesn't go as far. "I was aware that I was coming up to a mining town, but I don't think it really hit me until I got here, and I started to meet people who were in roles that had substantially more benefits from being in the mining sector, from housing to general wages."
This is coupled with a lack of housing supply, driving the median price for a two-bedroom rental in the Pilbara to $635 a week, according to the latest Real Estate Institute of WA data.but it is being keenly felt in remote and northern Australia. "We need to find a middle road where everyone can be financially comfortable and people can afford to rent a house," Ms Doogiebee-Dridi saidSalvation Army Karratha coordinator Danielle Black says high wages are a way of life for many in the Pilbara, but it drives up the cost of goods and services for all.
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