Western Australia has seen around 5,000 workers migrate to the state for work since COVID-19 border restrictions have been in force.
New modelling by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy shows a need for more than 8,000 new workers for the resources sector over the next 12-18 months.
From Broome to Esperance, people are looking to buy land and settle in WA, according to Development WA (Landcorp), but the resources-rich northern WA city of Karratha is the hotspot.
But although there is an impending influx of workers for the new resources boom in Karratha, in the north-west of the state, there is still a housing shortage.
And that's despite both state and local governments having put in money to bring down land costs to stimulate new builds.
Housing stock is short in Karratha with only 40 houses available to buy and sales have increased 72 per cent for the March to June quarter 2020.
However, there has been a significant uptake in new land sales in Karratha since the WA Government announced reduced land packages, which offer new opportunities to build homes if buyers can convince banks to approve lending.
Blocks moving fast, governments act
Eighteen residential lots have had offers on them at Madigan Estate in Baynton West
A four-fold increase in regional sales enquiries compared to 2019 has led to Finance Minister Ben Wyatt announcing 15 new lots to be released in Karratha, which houses many residential resource workers for major resource companies and a brand new FIFO camp.
Karratha's Mayor Peter Long said he was pleased with the land package deals and hoped Development WA will build the new display homes in the Madigan Estate that were planned last year.
"Things are going to be really busy, so we just need houses to be continually built over the next few years," Mr Long said.
The Regional Land Booster Package has cost the WA government $116 million but believes it will create a pipeline of activity across the regions, encouraging more workers to relocate to WA.
"I'm expecting that with our building bonus, combined with the Commonwealth support this is the time for FIFO operators who don't live where they work to perhaps make the decision to move their families to regional WA," Mr Wyatt said.
"Certainly with the sales in Karratha, I'm now trying to get some understanding of who is buying those and whether they're FIFOs from outside of the Pilbara."
Policy director of CME Rob Carruthers says the prosperity of the sector is not only important to WA, but also for the national economic recovery after COVID-19 and that a mix of FIFO and residential will be needed.
"We expect to meet the uptick in demand in key operating jurisdictions like the Pilbara," said Mr Carruthers.
