The federal government has established an employment taskforce to help staff future resource projects, including the upcoming Gorgon gas venture in Western Australia.
The taskforce will address the recruitment of the estimated 70,000 skilled workers needed to build and operate the many developments cropping up in the country during the next decade.
The $50 billion Gorgon gas project, which is set to double Australia's annual production of liquefied natural gas by 2013, will require up to 6,000 workers at the peak of construction.
It will have a commonwealth-appointed coordinator to aid recruitment.
The landmark project is just one of 80 planned or approved projects across the country, pushing the demand for skilled resource workers up by 70 per cent during the next 10 years.
The taskforce will consider whether staffing gaps exist in areas such as engineering, welding, drilling and diving, and how to fill them.
It will also examine how to create jobs in linked industries, including logistics, transport maintenance and hospitality.
There will be a focus on regional businesses and jobs, as well as recruiting indigenous Australians.
The taskforce follows the Western Australian government's plans to overhaul the training sector in the state to ensure the state's skills base has the appropriate attention in time for a big rise in economic activity.
Yesterday, Premier Colin Barnett announced a new Department of Training and Workforce Development will be created from the split of the Department of Education and Training.
The government also plans to overhaul Tafe colleges in the state as part of plans to raise the status of training, which Mr Barnett said is perceived as the poor cousin to education.
