Premier of Western Australia, Mark McGowan, has welcomed a decision by INPEX to transition its interstate fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workforce to a Western Australian based model.

The company announced that all employees working on INPEX’s offshore Ichthys LNG facility, located approximately 220 kilometres offshore of Western Australia, will have to live in Western Australia by the end of 2023.

The decision comes after repeated calls from the State Government for Eastern States-based FIFO workers to relocate to Western Australia.

“I would like to commend INPEX on their decision to transition their interstate FIFO workforce to a Western Australian based model, which helps support local jobs and the economy,” Mr McGowan said.

“Western Australia has so much to offer workers and their families who are currently living in the Eastern States, and I’m pleased industry is heeding our calls and making decisions in the interests of our State.”

“By companies doing the right thing and actively encouraging more workers to move to WA permanently, it has positive flow-on benefits to local businesses and provides a boost to the economy as we continue the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.