WA's mining industry is still struggling to attract women, and the Diggers and Dealers conference shows why
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We hear a lot about getting girls into STEM.
In recent years there have been a plethora of initiatives from governments and the private sector aimed at trying to encourage women into science, technology, engineering and maths — areas where they are woefully under-represented globally.
Just last week, the WA government's gender pay gap report noted that women are still reluctant to enrol in STEM subjects at university level.
The same report revealed a persisting chasm between what women and men earn in Western Australia, where the gender pay gap of 23.5 per cent is by far the worst in the nation.
The two things are clearly connected – careers in science and its related disciplines tend to pay far more than those in education, society and culture and health, which is what most women study.
Mining is the backbone of the WA economy, so it makes sense that the most obvious route to earning the serious money in this state is via a career in mining.
But given mining's enduring reputation for misogyny and worse, is it any wonder most women would rather be paid a pittance to care for society's most vulnerable in nursing homes and day care centres than put up with being demeaned on a mine site?
The issue has exploded in sensational fashion yet again this week, after allegations from a newspaper reporter that she was sexually assaulted last week at WA’s biggest mining event.
Now in its 31st year, Diggers and Dealers hails itself as Australia’s leading mining forum which provides "a unique opportunity for industry professionals to meet and network" while enjoying a "world-class entertainment program" showcasing Kalgoorlie’s style and hospitality.
That world-class entertainment has traditionally meant scantily-clad and often topless young women serving drinks to boisterous and overwhelmingly male delegates at networking events that most female delegates are repulsed by.
Sure, these events are not part of the official program, so women can choose not to attend – and choose to forego the networking opportunities they provide.
And sure, this year's program featured a female keynote speaker for the first time – but only five of the event’s 71 invited speakers were women.
This year's Diggers and Dealers came hot on the heels of a landmark parliamentary report about sexual assault and harassment in WA’s mining industry that took evidence from 55 brave women who detailed their harrowing experiences.
Enough is Enough laid bare the toxic and predatory culture that exists amongst FIFO workers in an industry where "sexual harassment is generally accepted or overlooked", where positions of power are abused, codes of conduct breached and cover-ups the norm.
The shocking stories uncovered included women being knocked unconscious and sexually assaulted, having co-workers touch their breasts in work meetings without consequences, being repeatedly asked for sex, being stalked, groomed and subjected to pornography and a range of other degrading treatment while at work.
Mining companies expressed shock at what the report uncovered, pointing to the fact that some perpetrators had been sacked for workplace sexual offences.
But as the women interviewed for the report pointed out, many perpetrators "merely changed work sites or were re-employed in the industry with a different company".
WA Communities Minister Simone McGurk was on the money when she said in response to the report: “This is of course a vicious cycle, where women aren't attracted to work in the industry, let alone stay in the industry, because of the dominance of men and a disregard of women's experiences."
The report led to a flurry of responses from mining companies and associated bodies keen to reassure the public that the issue was finally being taken seriously, that such behaviour would no longer be tolerated, and that reforms had been or were being implemented.
Yet for all the lip service paid, journalist Amber Lilley’s experience at Diggers and Dealers shows the industry has still not cleaned up its act.
And it's not good enough to say that the parliamentary report was only released in June. The execrable, abysmal and shameful treatment of women has been mining’s dirty secret for decades, and it has had decades to address the situation.
Until it does so in a comprehensive manner, it's not hard to understand why so few women opt to pursue a career in mining.
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