“There’s a lot of positive change in progress but we can’t take the foot off the pedal; we need to accelerate the advances that will attract women to the industry and retain them.”
Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA CEO, Rebecca Tomkinson
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA (CME) has welcomed the WA Government’s investment in a four-year comprehensive study of safety in WA’s resources sector released today.
CME Chief Executive, Rebecca Tomkinson, said the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program Landmark Study, which was produced by Curtin University’s Centre for Transformative Work Design, surveyed more than 2,500 workers in the WA resources sector.
“This report builds on the findings of the 2022 Parliamentary Inquiry report and is a significant investment in the future of the industry, the future of women in resources and the future of encouraging diversity in the workplace. It shines a light on what is working and what clearly needs changing,” Ms Tomkinson said.
Ms Tomkinson said CME and its member companies worked closely with the MARS Program and the Parliamentary Inquiry to explore issues of mental health, sexual harassment and workplace safety impacting women in resources or preventing women from entering the industry in the first place.
She said CME’s Safe and Respectful Behaviours Working Group, which featured representatives from more than 40 companies across CME’s membership including operators, contractors, service providers and associate organisations, had developed a comprehensive action plan to address and implement recommendations from the inquiry.
“Our member companies advocate a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and assault and have responded with initiatives to address both immediate concerns and longer-term changes to attitudes and workplace culture,” she said.
“The industry is taking a unified approach to encouraging a safe and respectful workplace but it’s also realistic about timeframes – changing attitudes is not an overnight process.
“There’s a lot of positive change in progress but we can’t take the foot off the pedal; we need to accelerate the advances that will attract women to the industry and retain them.”
Ms Tomkinson said CME had worked closely with Lifeline WA and other subject matter experts to produce a series of information sheets on wellbeing, psychosocial hazards, and occupational hygiene, which will be available on a dedicated webpage designed as a toolkit for industry to support their workforce.
She said other initiatives aimed at making workplaces safer included the Industry Alcohol Guideline and Industry Expectations for Work-Adjacent Settings, the partnership with Lifeline WA on the Resourceful Mind peer-support program was an important collaboration.
“Resourceful Mind has been a significant program for industry workers seeking advice, someone to listen and general support when navigating their way through their mental health and wellbeing,” Ms Tomkinson said.
“More than 500 mining employees from 17 companies have been trained by Lifeline WA since its launch 18 months ago, which is an outstanding achievement.”
Media contact: Natasha Mutch
n.mutch@cmewa.com
