Australia · recruitment portal
WorkPac
WorkPac recruits labourers and trades assistants for mining, industrial and energy projects. Search by job title and location; compare each role’s tickets, experience, roster and transport requirements.
AUSTRALIA · JOB GUIDE
Mine-site trade assistant jobs in Australia
Trade assistants provide practical support to qualified maintenance or workshop teams, handling tools, materials and tasks within their training. The title covers very different jobs, so match your actual experience to the trade and site instead of assuming every vacancy is an entry-level mining role.
Illustrative photo
This could suit you if…
You have practical skills and want to support qualified tradespeople with maintenance and workshop tasks.
The trade-offs
Site permits and task boundaries are strict. Mobilisation checks and changed shutdown dates can affect when you actually start earning.
What does the work involve?
A trade assistant helps qualified workers with tools, materials, workshop preparation, housekeeping and permitted maintenance support. The exact trade matters: mechanical, fabrication and site-services teams require different skills.
Expect pre-start briefings, permits and clear task boundaries. Isolations, electrical work, welding or lifting operations must remain with appropriately competent and authorised people.
Will it fit my trip?
Check whether the role is residential, drive-in or FIFO, plus flights, accommodation and mobilisation dates. Ask what happens if the shutdown moves or you do not pass a required assessment before booking travel.
What experience helps?
Describe the practical work you can do: tool use, workshop tasks, maintenance support and experience following a tradesperson’s instructions. A short shutdown and an ongoing workshop job can have different entry requirements.
Match tickets to the assignment
Compare the essential and preferred tickets in the employer’s role description. Construction induction, heights, confined-space and forklift credentials apply to particular duties; medical screening and departure arrangements also vary by site.
The Olympic Dam shutdown pay example below requires a White Card, current heights and confined-space training and a pre-employment medical. Industrial or shutdown experience is advantageous. Those are that assignment’s conditions, not a universal list for every trade assistant.
Which training is worth doing?
Forklift licensing when the job requires it
Forklift, heights and confined-space training serve specific duties. There is no single course that qualifies you for every mine-site trade-assistant job. Prioritise the licence or unit named in the work you intend to do.
Pinnacle — work safely at heights, Brisbane
Practical training in fall-prevention and fall-arrest equipment. Relevant when the job includes height work; it does not qualify you to erect scaffolding or perform licensed rigging. The provider’s location page lists booking availability.
View the Brisbane heights course
Priced Brisbane alternative: Harness Energy
RIIWHS204E Work Safely at Heights: one day, 8am–4:30pm, with Brisbane sessions listed at $265. Use this when height work is part of the job. It does not replace a high-risk work licence for scaffolding or rigging.
Harness Energy course and Brisbane dates · checked 23 October 2026.
Companies and application routes
Find employers and recruitment contacts below.
Australian mining regions
Programmed
Mining recruitment pathway for experienced applicants and career entrants. Use its official jobs portal to search stores, trade-support or trainee roles; verify requirements and departure location per vacancy.
How do I put together a good application?
Describe tools used, maintenance environments, safety procedures and relevant licences. A precise example of assisting a mechanic is stronger than calling yourself a general mining worker.
FIFO applications need your departure location, roster availability and current licences. Use the advertised recruitment process for medicals and site induction; those stages come after the employer assesses your application.
How much does it pay?
Where the Mining Industry Award covers the work, the classification determines the minimum. These ordinary adult casual day rates include the industry allowance.
| Role / shift | Hourly pay |
|---|---|
| Entry level — induction | $34.41 |
| Level 1 — basic | $35.81 |
| Level 2 — intermediate | $37.09 |
| Level 3 — competent | $38.18 |
Adult award rates effective from 1 July 2026, before tax and excluding super. Casual loading is included. These are classification minimums, not advertised FIFO salary ranges. Additional all-purpose allowances may apply. Contractor workshop, warehouse or hospitality staff may have different award coverage.
Experienced staff do not automatically belong at entry level. Skills, duties and responsibility determine the appropriate level; roster penalties and overtime are additional to the ordinary day rate.
Advertised shutdown example: $45–$52/hour
RED Appointments’ temporary Olympic Dam shutdown assignment (8–15 November 2026) lists $45–$52/hour with FIFO and camp accommodation. It requires a White Card, current heights and confined-space training and a pre-employment medical; SA-based applicants are preferred. The advert does not separate loading, super or penalties, so this is not a verified ordinary base-rate range.
Dated pay evidence · checked 23 October 2026. Apply through the company links in Employers.
Sources and further reading
Mining Industry Award coverage
Sources checked 17 October 2026.