It is understood the aircraft is Ellison’s own personal helicopter.
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The morning commute from Ellison’s sprawling riverfront compound in Mosman Park to the Osborne Park office is less than 20 kilometres — 40 minutes long if you’re taking the scenic route down West Coast Highway.
But it’s several hours from the oceanside Eagle Bay holiday home he spent $3.2 million on in 2021, which appears to feature a large circular grassed area that looks a lot like a helipad.
The news comes months after rumours Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart was mulling the addition of a helipad as part of an eye-catching $19.5 million revamp of Roy Hill’s headquarters, speculation later quashed by the City of Perth.
The battle of the mining giants
Ellison has made no secret of the diversified mining services company’s bid to utilise job perks at his workplaces to draw and retain staff in Western Australia’s constrained labour market.
Last month, Ellison announced plans to offer subsidised childcare onsite as part of an ambitious plan to increase female participation and bolster the workforce by 25 per cent.
The facility would be the latest addition to Mineral Resources’ sprawling 13-storey Perth headquarters, which already boasts a restaurant with subsidised meals, a health centre and an in-house psychologist.
The philosophy also extends to Mineral Resources’ mine sites and “resort style” accommodation, where the size of individual rooms has quadrupled and amenities have received major upgrades.
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The company intends to establish its own airline, too, a move Ellison says will afford employees greater choice in where they spend their downtime.
“We’re creating a lifestyle, and we’re making ourselves the go-to place, and it’s working,” Ellison told the Macquarie Australia Conference in Sydney last month.
“I’m getting benefits that make people want to come to work and be at work and be in that environment and enjoy it more than being at home — that’s really important.”
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