The State Government’s strategy to drive cultural change within Western Australia’s resources sector and create safer workplaces for women continues today with the launch of the Respect in Mining program.
The program aims to increase awareness and knowledge of the gendered drivers of violence, the impact of gender inequality on women’s safety, and the impact of gendered division in leadership within the resources sector.
Minister for Women’s Interests Sue Ellery announced today that mining company Gold Fields Australia will participate in a 12-month pilot of the Respect in Mining program across its Western Australian operations, scheduled to begin in early 2024.
The pilot will take a whole-of-organisation approach to the prevention of sexual violence and harrassment, and work to embed policies and practices across the company to benefit all employees and contractors.
Research and development of the program has been undertaken by Curtin University’s Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, which has created a suite of tools and resources for use in the pilot that will be available in August 2023. These tools will provide supporting guidance on how to review the new policies and procedures and monitor the overall shift in workplace culture to improve practice.
The Respect in Mining program is based on the principles of the Department of Communities’ Respectful Relationships programs and is an initiative under the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program.
It is aligned with the outcomes of Stronger Together - WA's Plan for Gender Equality, implementation of the Respect@Work Report and Enough is Enough Report recommendations, and development of WA’s first Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Strategy.
More information
More information about the Respect in Mining program and the resources available can be found on the Respect in Mining webpage.
