This International Women’s Day, Australian Women in Mining and Resources (AWIMAR) is highlighting its new report, urging the sector to rethink safety and create workplaces where women can truly thrive.
Safety in the Australian mining and resources sector has undergone a profound evolution. Once defined almost entirely by physical protection – helmets, high‑vis gear and hazard controls – safety today has expanded to encompass the full human experience. As more women enter the workforce than ever before, a modern understanding has emerged: genuine safety also depends on psychological, cultural and social wellbeing.
Across the country, women describe pride in their contribution and a deep commitment to the future of mining. Yet many continue to navigate environments where exclusion, subtle biases, or disrespect still shape their daily reality.
These experiences are safety issues.
AWIMAR fosters national collaboration, coordination and co-operation to unite and amplify, addressing challenges and driving outcomes to support the attraction and retention of women in the industry. As an industry first, the AWIMAR Report 2025 was released in October to provide the data, state the case and shine a light on a path forward for inclusion and diversity in the resources industry.
The report highlights that bullying, sexual harassment and a lack of belonging remain, even as physical injury rates continue to decline.
These harms may not appear in traditional reporting, yet they continue to influence performance, confidence, retention, confidence and company bottom-lines in profound ways.
“Now is the time for the industry to walk the talk and focus on real solutions for our real problems,” the report stated.
The shifting landscape is matched by significant progress. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows full‑time female participation rising from 8700 in 2002 to 45,000 in 2022, a powerful signal that more women see mining as a place they can thrive.
Meanwhile, companies across the sector are evolving. BHP reached 40 per cent female representation globally in 2025, a milestone almost unimaginable a decade ago. Whitehaven Coal’s 26‑week paid parental leave demonstrates that mining careers and family life can coexist. Promotion pathways are strengthening, and women’s internal mobility is improving.
Legislative reforms are reinforcing this momentum.
New workplace sexual harassment laws under the Fair Work Act now explicitly prohibit harassment in connection with work and hold employers liable unless they can prove they took all reasonable steps to prevent it. The national positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 requires organisations to proactively eliminate sexual harassment, sexism and hostile environments – not merely respond after harm occurs.
States and territories have strengthened protections further. Queensland employers must have a written Sexual Harassment Prevention Plan (Work Health and Safety (Sexual Harassment) Amendment Regulation 2024 (Qld), and the Federal Government’s workplace safety reforms reference the Model Code of Practice: Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work, a national WHS Code of Practice, recognises sexual harassment as a psychosocial hazard requiring structured prevention and control measures.
Victoria’s 2025 limits on non‑disclosure agreements promote transparency and protection. The Western Australian parliamentary inquiry into sexual harassment in the fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mining sector concluded that systemic cultural and operational failings across the resources industry had enabled widespread harmful behaviour, calling for substantial reform to ensure safer, more accountable and gender-inclusive workplaces.
What strengthens this cultural shift even further are the clear, practical recommendations in the AWIMAR 2025 Report, recommendations crafted from lived experience, national data and industry insight. They offer a roadmap for embedding lasting change across all parts of the sector.
AWIMAR calls for a national government–industry taskforce to drive reform, standardised gender‑inclusion reporting indicators, and transparent data to create genuine accountability. It recommends strengthening pathways into leadership through mentoring and sponsorship, addressing the ‘leaky pipeline’ that sees women exit the industry during key life transitions, and expanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) engagement to build the workforce.
Crucially, AWIMAR emphasises the need for companies to move beyond symbolic ‘pink washing’ toward sustained, measurable action, ensuring inclusion is lived daily, not stated annually. By weaving these recommendations into everyday practice, the industry can create workplaces where women feel valued, supported and safe to contribute fully.
“The future of mining depends on our ability to create workplaces where women can thrive, not just survive,” AWIMAR co‑chair Jody Altmann said.
Across the sector, organisations are embracing this opportunity. Cultural reviews are becoming commonplace, flexible work is improving on-site and off, and leaders are learning to respond early, listen deeply and act decisively. Programs such as the Women in Resources National Awards (WIRNA) continue to showcase the extraordinary contributions women are making across the board in engineering, operations, leadership and community development.
As mining confronts the challenges and opportunities of decarbonisation, electrification and technological transformation, the need for diverse talent has never been clearer. The future workforce will require new skills, new thinking and new leadership. Women are key to this future; not as an initiative but as essential contributors to Australia’s economic and industrial progress.
A safer industry is a more inclusive industry. An inclusive industry is a more innovative, resilient and high‑performing one. Mining has already shown that when the sector aligns around a goal, extraordinary change is possible.
The same determination that once transformed physical safety can now transform cultural safety.
With stronger laws, clearer expectations, actionable recommendations and a rising generation of talented women entering the field, the future of mining is brighter, more diverse and more ambitious than ever.
This feature appeared in the January-February edition of Safe to Work.