CrossNation is a mining recruitment agency, one of the mining recruitment agencies in Australia that recruit diesel mechanics, electricians, operators and technical staff for mining and resources employers in every state and territory, from candidates based in Australia and from overseas. Site inductions, medicals and licences are set by the employer and the state regulator, so we record what the role needs against each candidate. Our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement.
Brief: you tell us the trade or role, site location, roster, start date and whether you want onshore, overseas or either.
2
Search: we look at candidates based in Australia first when the start date is soon, then at overseas candidates for roles you can plan ahead for.
3
Screen: we talk through each candidate's experience against your brief and record their licences and tickets so you can verify them.
4
Interview: you meet the shortlist and choose who to offer.
5
Offer and start: we coordinate the offer; overseas candidates need any licence recognition and visa steps completed before they start.
Readiness and compliance checks
Trade licences and tickets the role needs, issued by the relevant state regulator.
Site induction and medical requirements, set by the employer.
Work rights for onshore candidates, shown by the candidate's VEVO result.
Award or enterprise agreement coverage, set by the employer.
Sector insights
Where does the Census show mining employing people?
At the 2021 Census coal mining was the largest employing industry in Mackay - Isaac - Whitsunday, at 11.0% of employed residents against 0.4% across Australia. Technicians and trades workers made up 19.2% of employed residents there against 12.9% nationally, and machinery operators and drivers 13.6% against 6.3%. In Greater Perth iron ore mining employed 2.6% of employed residents against 0.4% nationally. These are ABS counts of where people live and work, not CrossNation placements. They show why mining employment in Queensland and Western Australia draws on the same trades and operator pools as construction and transport.
Mackay - Isaac - Whitsunday: coal mining 11.0% of employed residents (Australia 0.4%)
Greater Perth: iron ore mining 2.6% of employed residents (Australia 0.4%)
Mining jobs in Western Australia and Queensland often sit next to maintenance, electrical and operator roles
Which licences and tickets sit behind a mining hire?
Licences are state by state. In Western Australia a high risk work licence is required to operate forklifts, cranes, hoists, reach stackers and scaffolding, among other equipment, and the employer sets any site induction and medical. We record the licences and tickets each candidate tells us they hold so you can verify them with the issuing body.
Name the award or agreement in the brief so candidates see the classification.
List the tickets the site asks for before induction, not after the offer.
Verify every licence with the state regulator that issued it.
What are the current award minimum rates for mining work?
Without an enterprise agreement, minimum pay for mining work is set by a modern award such as the Mining Industry Award 2020 [MA000011] or the Black Coal Mining Industry Award 2020 [MA000001]. Which one applies depends on the work and the employer, so confirm it before you set a salary. CrossNation prints rates for the Mining Industry Award only and publishes no rate for the Black Coal Mining Industry Award. The Mining Industry Award figures below were re-read on the Fair Work award pages on 27 October 2026. These are award minimums for full-time employees, the same in every state. An enterprise agreement can apply instead of the award, and employers can pay more. Superannuation is paid on top at 12%. The Fair Work pay guide for the Mining Industry Award prints rates that already include the weekly industry allowance of $41.41 (clause 18.2(b)(i)), so its figures are higher than the award minimums here. Allowances, roster loadings and overtime often decide the real cost of a mining position more than the base rate.
Level 1 (Basic): $1,047.30 a week ($27.56 an hour) from 1 July 2026, Mining Industry Award [MA000011] clause 15.1(a).
Level 3 (Competent): $1,119.10 a week ($29.45 an hour) from 1 July 2026, clause 15.1(a).
Level 6 (Dual trade): $1,334.10 a week ($35.11 an hour) from 1 July 2026, clause 15.1(a).
Industry allowance: $41.41 a week, paid for all purposes, clause 18.2(b)(i).
Casual loading: 25% for casual employees, clause 11.1(b).
Rosters, sites and start dates: what to put in the brief
Many mining and resources roles run on rosters such as fly-in fly-out or drive-in drive-out, and the site, roster pattern and accommodation are set by the employer. A brief that states the site, the roster, the award or agreement and the tickets the role needs lets us search for candidates who can accept those terms. Candidates who already live in Australia can usually start once your onboarding checks are done. Overseas candidates add licence recognition and visa steps, so the lead time is longer. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Site location and roster pattern
Award or agreement and classification
Tickets, induction and medical set by the employer
Start date and whether you want candidates based in Australia, overseas or both
Looking for mining employment agencies in Perth or Queensland?
Employers searching for mining employment agencies in Perth, or for mining recruitment in the Bowen Basin and Mackay region, can brief CrossNation for permanent and contract roles. We recruit for the employer's own payroll against a brief. We do not supply crews, run rosters or act as a contractor on site. Our Perth page sets out the Western Australian rules and the local Census picture, and the Perth employer page covers hiring across industries.
Mining employment agencies in Perth: see the Perth mining page
Hiring across industries in WA: see the Perth employer page
Job seekers: see mining jobs and register your CV
Official data
Key facts from official sources
Mining: job vacancies
Hiring demand in this industry group: 11.0 thousand vacancies were advertised in August 2026, and 8.6 thousand a year earlier. Across the six quarters to August 2026 the count ranged between 8.6 thousand (Aug 2025) and 11.0 thousand (Aug 2026), so expect competition for staff to move with the season. Mining job vacancies were the highest of the six quarters in the latest release.
Minimum pay for mining work without an enterprise agreement is set by a modern award, for example the Mining Industry Award 2020 [MA000011] or the Black Coal Mining Industry Award 2020 [MA000001]. Which one applies depends on the work and the employer.
How to choose a mining recruitment agency in Australia
These checks work for any agency. Each one is something you can ask for or verify before you send a brief.
Fee basis in writing
Ask for the percentage, what it is charged on and the event that makes the fee payable, in writing, before you send a brief.
CrossNation: CrossNation's fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds.
Guarantee terms in writing
Ask for the guarantee period and how it applies in the agreement you sign, not only on the agency's website.
CrossNation: CrossNation placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. See our terms.
How candidates are screened
Ask what the agency checks before it shortlists a candidate, and what record it keeps, such as qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights, so you can verify each one yourself.
CrossNation: CrossNation records each candidate's qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights so employers can verify them.
Migration agent involvement
If you are considering an overseas hire, ask who gives visa advice. Only a registered migration agent can give migration advice, and the register of migration agents is public (https://www.mara.gov.au/). This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
CrossNation: CrossNation is a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent. The employer holds or obtains its own approval.
References
Ask for referee details for a candidate you are shortlisting, call the referees yourself, and ask the agency how it checks references and what it passes on to you.
Who employs the worker
Ask whether the agency recruits for your payroll or supplies workers it employs itself. Different rules apply to each arrangement, so take advice on how yours is classified.
CrossNation: CrossNation recruits permanent and contract roles for the employer's own payroll. It does not supply crews, run rosters or act as a contractor on site.
Licences and tickets you can verify with the issuer
Ask which high risk work licences, trade licences and tickets the agency records for each candidate, and verify every one with the state regulator that issued it. Site induction and medicals are set by the employer.
CrossNation: CrossNation records the licences and tickets each candidate tells us they hold so you can verify them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a mining recruitment agency in Australia?
Ask any mining recruitment agency for five things: the fee basis in writing, the guarantee terms in writing, how candidates are screened and what licence and ticket records it keeps so you can verify each one with the issuer, whether it recruits for your payroll or supplies workers it employs itself, and referees you can call yourself. CrossNation's fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. CrossNation recruits for the employer's own payroll and does not supply crews.
Do you recruit for fly-in fly-out roles?
Tell us the roster and site location in your brief and we will say whether we have candidates who suit it. CrossNation recruits for employers across Australia.
Which mining roles do you recruit?
Diesel mechanics and fitters, electricians, operators and technical staff, and site supervisors where the candidate's experience fits. Tell us the trade and the tickets the role needs.
Do you supply crews or contractors to mining sites?
No. CrossNation recruits permanent and contract roles for the employer's own payroll, against your brief. It does not supply crews, run rosters or act as a contractor.
Which award covers mining work?
It depends on the work and the employer. Where no enterprise agreement applies, the Mining Industry Award 2020 [MA000011] sets at least $1,047.30 a week ($27.56 an hour) for a level 1 (Basic) employee and $1,119.10 a week ($29.45 an hour) for a level 3 (Competent) employee, for full-time employees from 1 July 2026, plus an industry allowance of $41.41 a week. The Black Coal Mining Industry Award 2020 [MA000001] covers other work, and CrossNation publishes no rate for it. Enterprise agreements are common, so confirm the instrument before you brief us.
Are you one of the mining employment agencies in Perth?
CrossNation is a recruitment agency registered in Mildura, Victoria (VIC 3500) that recruits for Perth and WA employers, including mining and resources employers. It does not run a Perth office. See the Perth mining page for the Western Australian rules.
What does mining recruitment cost with CrossNation?
CrossNation's fee for mining recruitment is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds. If no placement is made, there is no fee. Placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. Wages, superannuation and other employment costs stay with the employer.
How long does it take to recruit mining workers through CrossNation?
It depends on the candidate and on bodies CrossNation does not control, such as registration boards, licensing regulators and the Department of Home Affairs, so CrossNation does not give a timeline. For mining, those steps can include licence recognition and, for overseas candidates, visa steps. Many employers ask for both onshore and overseas candidates so an urgent vacancy is not held up.
What are an employer's responsibilities when sponsoring overseas mining workers?
The Department of Home Affairs says a standard business sponsor has obligations to meet while it sponsors someone. They include telling the department in writing when certain events occur, such as the sponsored person ceasing employment or a change in their duties, making sure the person works only in the occupation nominated, giving terms and conditions of employment that are not less favourable than those of an equivalent Australian worker, keeping records, and cooperating with inspectors. The sponsor must also pay the costs of the recruitment process itself, including recruitment agent fees, and must not charge them to the sponsored worker. A sponsor that does not meet its obligations can face sanctions. The employer is the sponsor. CrossNation is a recruitment agency, does not sponsor and cannot promise a visa or an approval. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
What happens if a mining worker placed through CrossNation leaves?
Placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. How it applies is set out in the agreement between CrossNation and the employer, so ask for the guarantee terms in writing before you sign. See our terms at https://crossnation.com.au/terms. The guarantee is not a promise of any offer, visa or migration outcome.
Send a hiring brief, get a shortlist plan within the fee terms.
Our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement.
