The Government of Western Australia has tabled a progress report in Parliament today in response to the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into sexual harassment against women in the fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mining industry.
The report outlines the actions being taken across key areas such as primary prevention, data and research, refocused regulatory framework, and better support and advocacy for victims of workplace sexual harassment.
Minerals Council of Australia Chief Executive Officer Tania Constable said it is encouraging that the reported rates of sexual harassment in the mining industry have decreased from 40 per cent to 32 per cent and are now below the national incidence rate of 33 per cent.
“The survey shows that 62 per cent of women experienced sexual harassment in the past 5 years (compared with 74 per cent in 2018 survey) and 25 per cent of men (compared with 32 per cent in 2018) in the industry.
“Despite this improvement, sexual harassment is unacceptable and the industry will continue to work to eliminate this behaviour.”
Mines and Petroleum and Industrial Relations Minister Bill Johnston said while important progress has been made, they recognise there is more work to be done.
“We will continue to collaborate with industry and the community to create workplaces that proactively prevent inappropriate behaviour.
“All organisations, industry leaders, employers and individuals have a responsibility to speak out against this behaviour, to hold perpetrators to account.”
Women’s Interests Minister Simone McGurk said workplace sexual harassment is not a women’s issue; it a societal issue which all organisations, employers and individuals have a responsibility to address.
“The message is clear. We need more women to work in this sector and we need them to be treated with respect.”
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA (CME) Chief Executive Rebecca Tomkinson said the WA mining and resources sector is committed to eliminating sexual harassment and sexual assault from workplaces, which is something the WA Government is committed to as well.
“I’d like to acknowledge the courage of the women who have come forward to share their experiences, either through the Parliamentary Inquiry or via the media. We recognise the pain you have suffered and assure you that in coming forward, you will help make our sector better.
Ms Tomkinson said CME and its member companies continued to work through and make progress on the series of recommendations to industry outlined in the Parliamentary Inquiry report.
“This includes the Industry Alcohol Guideline for employer-owned and operated accommodation facilities that was introduced earlier this year and subsequently expanded to a set of Industry Expectations for work-adjacent settings such as conferences and airports.
“I know the recommendation from the Parliamentary Inquiry around the introduction of an industry register has been the subject of a lot of public attention. I reiterate our sector’s support for the intent of the recommendation – that being to stop perpetrators moving from site-to-site – but also that there are significant legal and practical complexities around this recommendation.
“The Safe and Respectful Behaviours Working Group continues to explore how the introduction of a suite of measures, which could include pre-mobilisation training and awareness programs and enhanced recruiting and pre-screening recommendations, can meet the intent of this recommendation.
“One measure being considered is having employees complete a statutory declaration prior to mobilising to site, addressing a range of standardised questions including whether they had previously been investigated for sexual harassment.”
WA Government actions
Regulatory amendments to the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 and Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 are underway, which will mandate the requirement for companies to address psychosocial hazards such as sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviours in the workplace.
Improvements introduced through the WA Government’s Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program are funding critical support for victim-survivors and developing resources to support individuals and employers to prevent and respond to workplace violence.
This includes training to upskill mining industry personnel to respond and support victims of sexual harassment incidents.
Circle Green Community Legal has been funded to provide legal triage and non-legal social services to those working in WA’s mining sector who have been affected by workplace sexual harassment.
Other ongoing initiatives include an e-Learning program delivered by the Sexual Assault Resource Centre, a Respect in Mining pilot initiative to engage workers about gendered drivers of violence, an independent Regulatory Capability Review (RCR) and the development of a Code of Practice for accommodation facilities.
A Leadership Summit will also be hosted in the first half of 2023 to drive cultural change across WA’s mining industry by bringing together company boards, mine management, supervisors, health and safety representatives and safety professionals.
The existing code of practice for mentally healthy workplaces for FIFO workers in the resources and construction sectors is being reviewed by the Department of Mining, Industry Regulation and Safety and will be delivered to the Mining and Petroleum Advisory Committee and the Work Health and Safety Commission.
