Were the shops and local conveniences (pubs, bars etc) company owned & run or contacted out to other companies? How free was a private business able to establish a means of supplying services to those who lived and worked in the town?
The main food/eatery "the mess" was operated by Agnew/BHP but was accessible to anyone who lived there, employed by the site or not. There are a few cafes and shops which are privately owned. It operates like a functioning small town, just with the extra money behind it.
The downside is that when BHP closes the site (temporarily or permenantly, as is happening now), the primary workforce is moved out and the secondary businesses (school/shops/cafes) become unfeasible - not a good place to build a long term business!
My parents were teachers at the school (it was a 6 month posting while the permenant Principal took long service leave) so they were paid by the government.
I would be very surprised to hear that people were paid in anything other than cash, though wages would have taken into consideration that accommodation and food was free (as it does with all on site mine workers).
Mine workers in Australia are paid very well in comparison to a lot of other industries so a debt cycle mentioned by others probably didn't apply as much.
