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It's quite funny, mining Towns were started as a State Government requirement to develop the Country and build communities.

The jobs were made more attractive, by the companies offering subsidised housing and amenities to attract workers and made it possible for families to relocate there.

AsI said I grew up in towns when they first started and it was amazing the way the communities got together and with the company assistance, football clubs, soccer clubs, basketball and speedway and motocross clubs formed, I had my first MX bike at 13 years old.

They were terrific places to grow up in.

Then all of a sudden the Federal Government said, hang on a minute, someone should be paying tax on this, it is either the wage earner has to put it down as a bonus, or the company has to put it down as a fringe benefit, but someone has to pay tax on it.

So the companies sold off the houses and built single persons camps, then flew workers in and out and the towns became $hit heaps.

There was no longer a reasonable sized fixed population, so the clubs folded, the water and services was not provided by the companies and it became user pays, so that all went down the toilet.

And the tax that was going to be gained, obviously went down the toilet also.

Unintended consequences, yet again