HN user
Between the start of the mining boom to the onset of the global financial crisis: annual price inflation in Perth averaged 4.0 per cent, compared to the national annual average of 3.3 per cent; Perth rents increased by two-thirds more than the national average; and Perth house prices grew by 14 per cent a year, almost triple the national average growth rate. http://www.pm.gov.au/node/6884
I'm not saying they're easy jobs but two weeks on one off with no expenses for the two weeks on makes for a lot of disposable income even without those salaries.
Inflation remains a steady 3% with a cash rate of 4.5% way above comparable economies, with a high chance of further raises. People not in the mining industry can't expect to compete with the salaries they're earning and the high interest rates and Australian dollar are hurting households and other exports.
Housing prices in Perth: http://reiwa.com.au/res/res-salesgraph-display.cfm Does that look sustainable?
"A 20-year-old off the street can come up to the Pilbara and earn A$92,000 a year," says Boxy. The median household income in Australia is A$67,000.
Talk about inflationary pressures.