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Still don't see were you get the figure of 50,000 ?

First a correction "talking about plant operators and there" I meant to say process operators sometimes referred to as fixed plant operators, process technicians, gold room operators or or gold room technicians. Secondly I have just checked and yes you are right there are aprox that figure as of Jan 2013 employed directly in WA (including contractors) but that doesn't change my statement that 50,000 job losses have not occurred across the industry, as you originally posted. Process operators fall within directly employed and I know of 5 mining companies looking for process operators currently. Boom / Bust statement of fact that is how the mining industry works it is cyclical in nature, due to commodity prices and commodity demand and economic conditions. While it has shown growth over the long term due to world population growth and hence commodity demand, it still maintains its cyclical nature due to economic cycles. I have been through other busts and have received redundancies before and have been one of those kept on when cuts where made, I am currently a contractor so when a mine shuts down I will find my next drilling contract or live on my savings (a contractor who doesn't save isn't a contractor). So I'm quite aware and have been through and ridden these down times and anyone who doesn't think they can cope with that should consider an alternate career. The government, companies, recruiters that sought skilled workers did so to fulfil a need, should they have not recruited on the basis one day things would turn around? Ho Hum not my statement but yes I agree. We're all adults make our own choices and decisions in life and bear the consequences.

Check out this website http://www.challenger.wa.edu.au/WORKINGWITHINDUSTRY/AUSTRALIANCENTREFORENERGYANDPROCESSTRAINING/Pages/ACEPT.aspx I have a friend working for woodside, they occasionally do traineeships and put people through the course

I was talking about plant operators and there is still a demand for them. 50,000 lost jobs? That is a very high figure. I work in the mining, specifically gold sector and we have been hit hard by the gold price slump. I can state there have not been 50,000 lost jobs. Including contractors the mining industry in Western Australia employs less than 100,000 I think its at the 75,000 to 80,000 mark. Mining is a boom / bust industry always has been, always will be.

Oil & Gas Sector is quite strong here at the moment even with the James Price Point turnaround, Plant operators are in demand not only for oil & gas but also for the mining industry and their mill plants. Try the Chevron Australia page they are active in WA. http://careers.chevron.com/global_operations/country_operations/australia/default.aspx

Woolworths and Coles are about par, IGA has different types of stores from supermarket to the corner store open late. The Supa IGA are usually pretty cheap but the others are expensive apart from their 'Get you in the door' specials. Best bet is 'growers type markets' and 'the spud shed' which is very cheap and has some unusual stuff from africa / asia etc. Spud shed have a great range of bulk meat specials etc where you can get large cuts and cut into steaks yourself.

The adapters you get anywhere you just need one of those travel adapters, just get the cheap UK to OZ, so they are a bit slimmer. The plugs you can get from Bunnings, Masters or any hardware store. You just need to cut your old plug off and then reconnect into the empty OZ plug. The power output here is the same as the UK. so washing machines etc, including our TV all work fine. If you concerned about anything, we were concerned about chopping the plugs on our laptop cords etc due to warranty so we brought some 6 outlet powerboards with overload/surge protection and just changed the powerboards plug (where it plugs into the wall) with an OZ plug. All work great!

Beyond the usual suspects for groceries (Coles, Woolworths) there is the 'Spud Shed' near us in Jandikot. Open 24 hrs 7 days, it can have some unusual grocery selections but is great for getting large cuts or that late night "oh no!' items. Generally cheap prices. I think the fruit & vegetables can be good and bad so check the quality and freshness. Personally I think the cost of basic staples are too expensive even taking into account the exchange rate and pay rates. A friend I have met has a subscription web service he's setting up to notify of any supermarket specials that are out for the week. Its in its infancy at the moment but it could be a good service. http://salesaver.com.au Also "Bisto Gravy Mix" is available at Spearwood IGA on Rockingham road. Its the imported from UK version and is cheap! As for the plugs we purchased a few australian plugs from bunnings and just converted the electrical cords of all our household electrical items as they use the same voltage and no problems yet. Even the TV is working great!