Two years on from a landmark inquiry into harassment of female fly in, fly out (FIFO) mine workers, we ask: has anything changed?
The extent of sexual harassment and bullying toward female FIFO workers in the mining sector was laid bare two years ago when the Western Australian Parliament published its landmark report on the issue, entitled Enough is Enough.
Many of the experiences detailed in the report were shocking: inappropriate touching; sexual requests that resulted in bullying when denied; an assault by a supervisor; unsolicited nude photos; and innuendo. The list was long and damning.
Prior to this, an independent review by Rio Tinto across its mine sites turned up similar findings, with 28% of its female employees having experienced sexual harassment at work, while 21 women reported actual or attempted rape.
These finding were perhaps not that surprising to the industry’s around 14–18% female workforce – and surely not to many of the male employees either – but it was a wake-up call to the sector at large. The reality had been exposed and could no longer be ignored.
Cue a call to arms. The Minister for Women’s Interests, Simone McGurk, at the time said: “the issue of women’s safety has been overlooked by this sector for far too long.” Among other things, PwC’s workplace culture expert Elizabeth Shaw was appointed by the Western Australian Government to lead a regulatory review, which made 24 recommendations. Two years on, do women actually feel safer in the industry?
An improving picture
Speaking to women involved in the sector, the general feeling is that the parliamentary report has been a catalyst for change, with some noticeable improvements in culture and attitudes amid efforts to address its findings – but without doubt there is still a very long way to go.
Emma Hitchens is the founder of the FIFO Project, which supports female FIFO workers in Western Australia (WA) with their physical and mental health. She previously lived in a mining town in the Pilbara region. Hitchens says most women she has worked with have on some level experienced negative incidents at work, ranging from comments to overt sexual harassment, that have impacted their mental health. She believes there has been a ‘shift’ of sorts, however.
Heidi Vella 