Collaboration across Australia’s public and private sectors has been a positive force in improving the position of women in mining.
Major mining companies have established educational programmes on gender equality such as Rio Tinto, Fortescue and BHP’s Building Safe and Respectful Workplaces initiative. This is bolstered by government efforts such as the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) programme, which includes a free and confidential telephone support service for miners affected by harassment and discrimination.
Under the MARS programme in WA, Gold Fields’ Respect in Mining initiative is a primary prevention-based leadership training and education programme that will be rolled out in 2025 across its global operations. Walker confirms that “we are working towards creating a diversified future workforce for both our company and the broader mining industry”.
Other company initiatives include the Futures Program Bursary, which provides support for up to five years of STEM-related study for female students, and the Women in Gold Fields Operations programme, which creates opportunities for women in operational roles to advance into leadership positions. This forms part of the company’s goal for 25% of its national workforce to be female by 2025, which it has surpassed, according to the WGEA’s database.
BHP also set a 40% gender balance target for 2025 for its global operations – as of 2024 it stood at 37.1%. WGEA data shows that 56% of the company’s Australian workforce are women, though 100% of its CEO or equivalent roles are held by men.
BHP’s South Flank iron mine in Pilbara has gained prominence in the industry for its gender-balanced working model. In collaboration with Monash University, the company undertook a research and development project at the mine to measure and mitigate social risk factors for the benefit of female employees. According to Harvard Business Review’s case study of South Flank, 40% of its front line employees are women as well as four out of six senior managers.
“The big mining companies are proactive,” confirms Treasure, naming Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue and AngloGold Ashanti. “They have generally got well-informed senior leadership as well as a high level of public support for women in mining.”
Tamati has decades of experience in FIFO sites and is positive about industry progress. “When I first started, I was one of nine women in a mine with 113 men. I was a breastfeeding mother with one lockable office space on the entire site, but things have changed.”
She spotlights Mineral Resources’ FIFO accommodation in Pilbara, which focuses on employee well-being and accessible amenities as a mark of progress in retaining a diverse workforce – one that increasingly requires flexibility.
Industry research finds that forward-thinking mining companies are recognising the necessity of offering flexible working such as part-time or job-sharing arrangements. Tamati points out that women tend to have caring responsibilities that lie outside of the traditional FIFO schedule.
Sabina Shugg, non-executive director of Resolute Mining and Tellus Holdings and Women in Mining WA founder, agrees that ensuring female miners aren’t isolated is vital. “I have been in the industry for 35 years and there used to be very few women. Now we have women doing every sort of job as part of a community.”
In a statement to Mining Technology, non-profit organisation Australian Women in Mining and Resources (AWIMAR) emphasised the importance of cross-collaboration: “AWIMAR seeks to partner with government and other key stakeholders to drive improvement and supports the publication of organisational GPGs to increase transparency and drive more decisive action.”