The House Standing Committee on Regional Australia said it would hear from the Town of Port Hedland, the Shire of East Pilbara and the head of Jan Ford Real Estate, as well as from members of the community.

The committee said it would hear from the separate councils regarding the difficulties faced by local governments to "adequately address the detrimental effects on the community that result from FIFO workforce practices".

It said it would also take a submission from Jan Ford about the recent trends in land and housing prices in Port Hedland and would hear about the way in which the high cost of housing was making basic accommodation unaffordable for many local residents.

Committee chairman Tony Windsor said it was aware of the impact FIFO and drive-in, drive-out work was having on Port Hedland.

"We want to hear directly for the people of this town - their voices, their stories," Windsor said.

The inquiry in Port Hedland follows a day of hearings yesterday in Karratha, where the committee took testimony from the Shire of Roebourne and the Ashburton Council on the limited opportunities that local governments had to influence the regulation of FIFO workforce practices.

According to the Australian Associated Press, Point Samson Community Association representative John Graham yesterday told the inquiry that transient workers hired for oil, gas and mining projects were having a detrimental impact.

Many workers live in mining camps 60km from Karratha but were bussed in on the weekends.

"They were falling out of the buses and urinating in public," Graham said.



He said fights in overcrowded taverns were common and local women were outnumbered by the men.



"It's changed the whole setting of this area ... women especially don't feel safe walking around," Graham said.

The committee moved its inquiry to WA after wrapping up hearings in Queensland.

It will hold six public hearings in WA, with the third to be held in Broome on Friday.