Background
CSG development and public health
Methods
Theoretical framework: Health needs assessment
Study setting
Region 1 | Region 2 & 3 | Region 4 | |
---|---|---|---|
Demographics | |||
ARIA classification | Outer regionala | Inner and outer regional | Inner regionalb |
LGA Land Area | 58,800 km2 | 38,000 km2 | 10,500 km2 |
Population | 14,000 | 34,000 | 66,000 |
% aged <55 years | 76% | 74.5%c | 80% |
Economic environment | |||
Main industries | Mining and agriculture | Agriculture, mining and manufacturing | Mining and manufacturing |
Median family income | $1444/week | $1294/week | $1941/week |
Study design
Data collection tools
Recruitment of study participants
Region | Key informant interviews (KII) Organisations (n) | Focus group discussions (FGD) Community members (n) | Individual interviews (IDI) Community members (n) |
---|---|---|---|
Region 1 | Primary care and community services (5) | Male group (3) | Male (1) |
Hospitals (4) | Female group (10) | Females (4) | |
Specialised health and community services (3) | Mixed group (4; 1 male, 3 females) | ||
Public health services (2) | |||
Regions 2&3 | Specialised health and community services (11) | Male group (6) | Male (1) |
Primary care and community health services (4) | Female group (6) | Females (2) | |
Mixed group (6; 1 male, 5 females) | |||
Mixed group (9; 2 males, 7 females) | |||
Region 4 | Specialised health and community services (10) | Male group (4) | Males (5) |
Primary care and community health services (3) | Female group (3) | Females (6) | |
Hospitals (2) | Female group (4) | ||
Government (1) | Mixed group (4; 1 male, 3 females) | ||
TOTAL | 45 | 59 | 19 |
Analysis
Ethical considerations
Results
Socio-economic and environmental conditions
“They come home, they spend an hour, have a shower and then they go to sleep because they start again the day after. And again, at the same time, link that to a low level of education and a low level of understanding, and self-awareness… drinking, constantly being with men, and having a lot of disposable income.” Service provider, specialised community services, region 4
“It normally peaks, it happens in these times. We have a lot of family breakdowns. It’s normally because you know… A lot of people are saying we are an industrial city look what is happening. So we get these families who arrive thinking they will be getting these marvellous jobs on a $100,000 a year they get there with their family and realise they can’t afford the rent and there is no work for them. The family breaks down… the husband starts drinking... Drugs as well.” Service provider, community service, region 4
“Community member (CM): There has been a shift in the community in the last few years around [region 1]… there’s been a lot around wellbeing and affordability too. I think there has been a lot of pressure on that just with the CSG industry in [region 1]; it’s probably put a bit of pressure on some people’s wellbeing, affordability wise… Probably not us specifically, but I have seen a lot of change around that in the community.”Interviewer (I): OK and how has that impacted on people’s wellbeing would you say?CM: I would say, stress.I: OK. And what are people doing?CM: “They are moving. They are leaving.” Community member, region 1
‘The councils - they’re to blame - they’re building it up all the time - how it’s going to be the greatest thing to happen to [region 3] and then they… Look at it now they’ve all left town, it was only going to be short term anyhow until they built everything and it’s all been built. There are suburbs out here with houses and houses and there’s no one in them but the fact is they’re still building them on the flood zones.’ Community member, region 3
“Mental health is an increasing issue for all regional communities and I think here in particular we have problems with isolation because families move here for work and they aren’t supported; or families move here and the husbands are out, or they go out for a week or two weeks at a time, and leave what is essentially a single family, a single parent family.” Service provider, community service, region 4
“Shift work. I think that there is some comorbidities that develop amongst the communities that is very much related to long hours, separation from family, unnatural working hours… Even though people who do continual shift work begin to see that as normal, in actual fact it deters that negative impact on us as you know, people. I think you see stress, depression, obesity, diabetes, and dysfunctional relationships.” Service provider, tertiary services, region 4
Individual lifestyle factors
“I: What would be the most pressing health need for the community or for people in your area?”CM: Probably the drinking would be a big thing.I: The drinking - ok - and any other things?CM: Ah in some particular mining camps the drugs are getting in there now.I: And is that having much sort of spill out into the community?CM: “From time to time there is and there has been an increase in the drug raids happening in and around town due to mining people getting hold, of bringing in drugs and then selling them.” Community member, region 4
“The other thing some of the local ones, I won’t say all of them because I know they all don’t do it but some of the local ones who have scored jobs in the industry have been on outrageous wages and what are they doing with those wages, I only have to go I won’t tell you where I have to go to buy cocaine and methamphetamine and whatever, but it is so easy to get and these people have a disposable income and they’re young they’ve got no common sense that they’re not old enough to have that yet.” Community member, region 2
“I think probably there are just a number of groups and they interact at different times out of need. I think that springs back to the basic social lifestyle, which is around shift work. Like you know, this town it’s really busy, you can go in at 9’o clock on a Friday and everyone is just about disappeared apart from the nightclubs. You know, it’s just an unspoken rule because people are up travelling at about 3.30 am/ 4am. So, because of that, it doesn’t evoke community as much. People aren’t sitting around until late at night, just enjoying themselves down town because people have gone.” Service provider, tertiary services, region 4
Social capital and community networks
“There is a change in the values. And there is a lower density of Akubra hats and moleskin [trousers] as you go down the street; it’s more reflective gear and every second vehicle has a flag on it. And that’s a whole different culture to what was here.” Community member, region 1
“I think too, with the influx of the gas, you know we call them ‘glow worms’ - with the big bright shirts, they are everywhere you go in the coffee shops, in the restaurants, everywhere you go. You walk down the street and the vehicles with their little flags. You think ‘ohhh gosh’, just from a visual point of view, that just impacts. And the traffic got a lot more. I mean there are positive and there are negatives, but from a community point of view the ones that have been here longer term have probably withdrawn from the services, they don’t feel so connected. Like people can say oh it’s not the same place I moved to.” Service provider, specialised services, region 1
“Being isolated as a worker like I’m a – they call workers like myself a townie. A townie is somebody who works in town, they’re here for 3-5 years usually or shorter and I’m actually not part of the community, so some community events some church events they don’t always make workers like myself feel particularly welcome because they know they’re only here for a short period of time. So that’s difficult - a bit of a cliquey town. There’s lots of wealthy land owners as well as workers in town… that probably comes back to isolation and not having sort of a connection to this community because they don’t have family.” Community member, region 1
“CM 1: You know so we’re a corporate town, we’ve been ‘corporatised’ and now I think people are getting it in their head that they’re de-culturising and that if the town wants something, well the resource company will fork out the money and we’ll just leave it up to them and I think a lot of the young people are seeing that. They’re seeing that the school - you don’t have to work for it. Yeah that’s right the money will just come from them. You’re not seeing, like I was very offended to see those signs on the school on every side of the school there’s a [mining company] sign and I was thinking now hang on when the brothel comes to town, are they going to be allowed to sponsor the school and put their signs up and what about the hundreds and hundreds of parents over the years that have contributed to that school so where’s their name around the oval.”I: I’m just trying to make sure we add it to this, what’s the wellbeing need there?CM 1: “To keep more community engagement.” Community members, region 2
Discussion
Socio-economic and environmental conditions
Living and working conditions
Individual lifestyle factors
Social capital and community networks
Public health and policy implications
Key Findings | Context | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
CSG mining during development stage has implications for the social determinants of health (SDoH) and health and wellbeing outcomes | Direct and indirect impacts both at individual and community level | Potential impacts of CSG mining could incorporate standardised assessment of SDoH at individual and community level, with acknowledgment that setting (e.g. level of remoteness can affect magnitude of outcomes; avoid ‘one size fits all’ approach |
Density and remoteness affects magnitude and type of impacts felt | Inner regional experienced more individual level impacts vs outer regional which experienced more community level impacts | |
Effects on health and wellbeing may vary with the stages of CSG mining | Lack of assessment of ongoing and cumulative health impacts through the stages | Monitor health and wellbeing over time to enable evidence-informed planning and response to fluctuating demands |
Lack of community understanding of CSG timeline and local impacts | Insecurity, lack of trust and concern for the future following completion of CSG mining could exacerbate negative perceptions | Communication of short and long term impacts is imperative alongside effective mitigation and planning |
Population level studies are effective to highlight opportunities for targeted research | Groups that might be disproportionately affected by CSG included farmers, young families and women | Targeted research to determine what services are in place or required to meet temporary or longer term needs |
Measuring and responding to the impacts of a mining project is not the responsibility of the mining company alone | Assessments should focus on the population, not the project, in order to uncover health and wellbeing outcomes that may not have otherwise been captured | A partnership approach involving local government, communities, research institutes, mining companies and social and health organisations is imperative |