MAC Group submits DA for Boggabri miner camp

By Kate Ramien  |  November 22, 2011

The MAC Services Group has submitted a development application for a fly-in, fly-out style accommodation complex at Boggabri.

The $45 million development would include a maximum of 850 single rooms, as well as a kitchen, restaurant, gymnasium and social meeting areas to be built on Carloola Road, 2kms west of Boggabri.

It comes following increasing demand for mining workforce accommodation within the region – potentially catering for workers at nearby mines, including Aston’s proposed Maules Creek Project.

The MAC Services Group, which is a private Australian company that provides accommodation services to the mining and construction industries primarily in Queensland and Western Australia, said the Boggabri village will only form part of the accommodation solution for the region’s future development.

“As labour force requirements of local mines escalate, there is a need for temporary accommodation to cater for this increase in the short and medium term while additional infrastructure and residential housing is developed,” the company said in a statement.

It also stated it will work in partnership with the local community.

“Some of the ways we endeavour to contribute is providing employment by employing locally where we can, using local suppliers and supporting local businesses during both construction and over the lifetime of the village’s operation such as sourcing produce locally for the kitchen and restaurant.

“The MAC also runs a sponsorship program aimed at supporting a variety of community groups and initiatives.

“We also ensured that within the design of the Boggabri village that we did not ‘double up’ on services and facilities that are available within the town. This encourages guests to use town facilities and support local business.”

The development application was lodged recently with Narrabri Shire Council and is currently on public exhibition.

Given the DA has a capital investment value of more than $10 million, it must be assessed by the Northern Joint Regional Planning Panel.
If approved, the company said it will only build in response to demand.

The MAC Group has already constructed single room accommodation housing for 240 workers on the outskirts of Narrabri, primarily for Whitehaven Coal employees.

The company said it does not have any plans for the Gunnedah district to build an accommodation complex – a move that would be welcomed by council which has been a vocal opponent of ‘camp style’ accommodation.

“We want to encourage families to move here permanently so the community gets the maximum economic benefit,” Gunnedah Mayor Adam Marshall said.

“These [camp style] developments are going to have enormous impacts on all sorts of infrastructure and resources, like the hospital and policing.”

Cr Marshall said council is working on a strategy to meet the demand for housing in Gunnedah, after meeting with both Whitehaven and Boggabri Coal which strongly believe in employing locally.

“We’ve had discussions with these companies about them underwriting private developers to build houses and lease them back to mining employees for a five to ten year period,” he said.

“Then the community gets all the benefits as there are permanent dwellings in our community,” he said.