The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA (CME) and its member companies reiterate their commitment to eliminating all instances of sexual harassment and assault following today’s report of inappropriate behaviour towards a journalist in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Acting CME Chief Executive Rob Carruthers said a concerted effort was being made across industry to ensure all environments were safe, respectful and inclusive.
But he said today’s report reinforced the need for more work to be done.
“On behalf of the WA mining and resources sector, I’d like to apologise to journalist Amber Lilley for the appalling behaviour she experienced and has reported,” Mr Carruthers said.
“This type of behaviour has no place in any part of society, including extensions of the work environment.
“CME and its member companies condemn this behaviour in the strongest terms and we again reiterate our commitment to ensuring it is not only eliminated from the workplace, but from all work-related environments.
“Sadly it seems the highly professional behaviour I witnessed at this year’s Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum doesn’t always extend beyond the confines of the conference, which is disappointing given the recently finalised Industry Expectations for Work-Adjacent Settingsproduced by CME’s Safe and Respectful Behaviours Working Group.
“Employers should ensure expectations on employee behaviour is clear prior to participation in events to ensure the safety of employees and others present.
“As an industry we must do better, by continuing to educate our people about what is and isn’t appropriate and by clearly calling out behaviour when it doesn’t meet the required standards.”