Where do we think the future of the Dandaragan Redgum Village is in 2016? This is a great question.
On the surface the future or our goals for 2016 look rather bleak.
For a start there is the cutting back of staff at the local mineral sands mine. With many personal being laid off, locals and staff staying at the mine camp.
We have heard or more than thirty staff from one contractor alone have been laid off and closure of the northern dry mine has either happened or is imminent.
Locals from Dandaragan have been assessed and some are either staying on our taking up lucrative redundancies. From the sound of a few locals the redundancy is a great option.
This tells me the mine future is looking bleak and a case of don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, take your opportunities.
Whether the mineral sand mine winds down over the next few years or a takeover by a prominent opposition mine, the immediate future is uncertain.
A possible take over from an existing miner would make sense. If they hold off and make on offer to buy out the existing setup whilst cashed up from an Irish deal being withdrawn, well once again possibilities are out there.
So what does all this mine uncertainty mean for Redgum in 2016? Sit tight see what happens and make ourselves available no matter what the outcomes. We are here to help out any way we can.
There is strong speculation the Carpenter Beef Lawson Angus newly formed company will be completing the building of the abattoir on Joanna Plains at cataby in early 2016.
If that is correct we would be inclined to think that Dandaragan could get a flood of workers over the next few years and construction crews could look at using Redgum for accommodation.
Looking slightly further ahead we would certainly look at helping out the abattoir management for accommodation for a number of staff required to run the abattoir.
Hopefully they don’t want to place hundreds of staff in a paddock of dongers at the abattoir, that would certainly be questionable.
One would think a camp set up in a local town would certainly be more appealing to staff requirements and a more hassle free environment on the farm. Once again time will tell.
Other future possibilities through 2016 are keeping in touch with what companies are requiring.
What I mean by that is offering companies options to suit readjusted budgets.
A few years ago we would offer our premium package of accommodation and meals with all the trimmings at a set price.
Lately however some companies doing major roadworks are seeking budget accommodation. This is much to the annoyance of their staff and goes against union policies about better conditions for the working person.
But what’s happening in a lot of cases is the employee being given a work away from home allowance. They then go find their own accommodation and meals. So a lot of the guys are sleeping in backpacker rooms, tents or even in their trucks eating noodles and pocketing the allowance given to them for living expenses.
It is our job to find this out beforehand so we can offer companies, individuals and sub-contractors both options. This is a challenge is finding the companies offering this option as it is not widely advertised.
All of this comes back to a slowing economy and cut throat pricing in order to secure jobs to keep staff employed. Not a good environment to be in but one we have to deal with to stay in business ourselves.
Other options for 2016 are to promote our function and conference centre.
Redgum Function Centre Here
We need to look out for companies that want a place to hold meetings and business gatherings.
It is up to us to offer opportunities and get companies and groups of people together to help make this happen.
Marketing Redgum is always difficult as a business or company needs to be working in the area to stay here. There are still plenty of projects and work happening in the Dandaragan Moora region but we need to diversify even more now than before so we can secure these contractors and individuals.
Moora Dandaragan Project List Here
The last few years we concentrated on the top end contractor, we now need to still attract them but offer other affordable accommodation options.
That is what we are targeting for 2016 and beyond.
Moora Dandaragan Region Accommodation Option
