Author: Samantha Bawden

In the Australian resources sector, women now represent a larger portion of roles as companies make progress to lower representation and wage disparities.Though significant progress has been made in recent years, there is still major room for growth with the percentage of women holding roles in the mining sector fluctuating between 22 - 23% since 2024, according to the Federal Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).Though progress across the board leaves a lot to be desired, there are a few companies that stand out as leaders in creating gender equality.In April 2025, BHP (ASX: BHP) reported 40% female representation in its global employee workforce — a world-first for a global listed mining company.Recent figures from Fortescue (ASX: FMG) show that 39% of senior leadership roles are held by women and an overall 25.1% female employment rate.At IGO (ASX: IGO), women hold the majority of board seats, accounting for 57% of members — well above the industry average of 24%.Lynas (ASX: LYC) chief executive Amanda Lacaze remains the only women to lead an Australian-based ASX-listed mining company, though she has announced plans to step down by the end of FY26.Natascha Viljoen was recently promoted to chief executive of US-based gold giant Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM).Safety extends beyond physical protectionAustralia’s mining sector has made progress towards creating safer, more respectful and inclusive cultures.However, according to the Australian Human Right’s Commission’s 2022 survey, the mining industry holds the fifth highest incidence rate of workplace sexual harassment and one in three workers having experienced sexual harassment in the last five years.This is a safety issue.The extent of sexual harassment and bullying directed toward female FIFO workers in the mining sector was exposed in 2022 when the?WA Parliament published its landmark Enough is Enough report.The inquiry focused on the extent, nature and reporting of sexual harassment in FIFO workplaces and the workplace culture across the mining industry.The inquiry found that sexual harassment and assault were not being appropriately managed through failure of companies to report known incidents, fear of repercussions on those reporting incidents, limited or ineffective training across industry and a significant gender imbalance across the mining sector workforce.Responding to the 2022 inquiry, Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King called for the sector to step up and take action.“Female workers need to know they are safe at work, and that they have the right to have rewarding careers in the mining industry without being subjected to sexual harassment and assault,” she said.“Any case of sexual harassment is one too many. Sadly, the inquiry has found that sexual harassment and assaults are much too common for women who choose to work in the FIFO workforce.”As a result, a spotlight was placed on the adequacy of existing workplace practices and policies in protecting workers against harassment, assault and other psychosocial risks.In the same year, Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) conducted an independent internal review of its operations and found 28% of its female workforce had experience workplace sexual harassment.As part of the independent review, several anonymous workers shared their lived experience.“I do believe Rio Tinto has made much progress, however there is still more to be done,” said one female operational manager.“There are some key areas. belief that women in senior roles are only there due to positive discrimination,” she said.“ perceived (perhaps) actual discrimination against mothers and expectant mothers…Despite my credentials, I have been called a token woman and treated that way as well.“I have had my opinions negated and I have many experiences challenged.”Building a respectful, supportive and high-performance culture remains integral to addressing the issues highlighted by this inquiry.Rio Tinto says it is making active efforts to drive this shift, including implementing respectful behaviour training modules and driving company-wide initiatives to create change.In response to the independent review finding, Rio created the Everyday Respect taskforce to implement the 26 recommendations to create a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace.Two years after releasing the initial report, Rio conducted a progress review which reported change is happening and progress is being made.Closing the gender wage gapAccording to the WGEA, the gender pay gap across the Australian mining sector is the third largest in the country.Gender pay gaps are the result of imbalances in gender composition and remuneration across the organisation.The gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay which has been the legal requirement in Australia since 1969 which ensure both men and women are paid the same for performing the same role.While progress has been made, work is still ongoing. Across most Australian operations, the average and median earnings of women remain lower than those of men.Figures vary significantly across companies. In 2025, Rio Tinto’s equal pay gap was less than 1.5% in favour of men while IGO, in FY24, reported a 10.7% gap in favour of men.PLS, recognising the need to drive further progress, reported a 14.1% gap in average total remuneration in favour of men as part of its Gender pay equality statement 2026.The company’s recent gender pay gap results are primarily influenced by structural factors and gender representation patterns across the workforce, rather than unexplained differences in pay for equivalent work.PLS reports that it is actively addressing these structural representation factors as part of its efforts to increase female participation and drive an absolute improvement in its gender pay gap.According to WGEA’s 2026 figures, 54.8% of employers across Australia reduced their average total remuneration gender pay gap year-on-year and 52.3% of employers reduced their median total remuneration gender pay gap year-on year.Encouraging future generationsThere are many initiatives across Australia, from both the private and public sectors, encouraging young women to take up careers in the mining sector.One such program is the Queensland Resource Council’s (QRC) girls in resources leadership skills (GIRLS) mentoring program. The program’s 2026 rendition saw twenty Year 12 students and their resources industry mentors gathering in Brisbane from across broader Queensland.Students travelled from 16 schools for the launch of the mentoring program and to meet their experienced industry mentors including geologists, engineers and experienced tradespeople.The popular program, now in its eighth year, has helped connect more than 120 students with the minerals and energy sector, with many alumni going on to carve out successful careers in the sector.QRC chief executive Janette Hewson says the mentors and their mentees will take part in a scaffolded and mentoring partnership over the next six months, supported by organisational psychologists."These young women will get expert guidance and advice from their mentors, who work in the fields they are aspiring to enter,” she said.GIRLS is a joint initiative between the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) and Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WMARQ).WIMARQ co-chair Catherine Cook says GIRLS was designed to assist young women keen to follow a STEM or trades career in the resources industry.“By the end of this six-month program the students will be filled with knowledge and confidence about potential careers in mining and energy,” she said.Today, QRC is also hosting the 2026 Resource Awards for Women to celebrate the exceptional achievements of women across the state’s resources sector.There are 20 finalists, including include field and trade supervisors, safety leaders, value analysts, diversity champions and executives, competing for seven prestigious awards.

Australia and Canada have signed a series of agreements regarding critical minerals, one of which grants Australia membership to the G7 minerals alliance.This week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, marking the first bilateral visit of a Canadian Prime Minister to Australia in nearly two decades, and outlined a series of partnerships between the nations in investment, defence and security, critical minerals, energy and artificial intelligence.Noting Australia and Canada’s combined strengths as major global critical minerals producers, both leaders committed to working more purposefully in partnership to advance mutual interests and build dynamic global critical minerals supply chains.The countries also committed to pursuing common positions on key critical minerals issues and to collaborate on shaping emerging markets in ways that reflect shared commitment to fair and open trade as well as high environmental and labour standards.This builds on the joint declaration of intent on critical minerals cooperation, signed by both countries in November last year, designed to strengthen supply chain resilience.During the visit, Canada welcomed Australia into the Critical Minerals Production Alliance — an initiative launched under Canada’s G7 presidency in 2025 to expand critical minerals production and processing capacity and diversify supply chains from mine to market.“We're looking forward to learning from … cooperating in strategic areas, such as critical minerals and financial services, where we are quiet powerhouses in and of ourselves,” Prime Minister Carney said.As part of the agreements, both nations will develop a Canada-Australia mining skills exchange pilot, in collaboration with industry stakeholders, academic institutions and government partners to address skills and labour shortages and ensure allied ability to expand critical minerals production.Minerals Council Australia chief executive Tania Constable says the agreements mark a new era in Australia and Canada’s enduring partnership.“We have a long history of prosperity for our people and communities being generated by a range of minerals, including traditional resources and most recently the addition of critical minerals that power the world and make modern life possible including telecommunications, health and defence,” she said.Recognising the significant security challenges associated with increasing geopolitical issues, Canada and Australia also agreed to enhance defence and security cooperation, including through the establishment of a biennial defence ministers’ meeting.“Our two nations share values. We share common interests as well,” Prime Minister Albanese said.“ shared ambition for Australia and Canada to do more together, at a deeper level. To build on our shared strengths, from our resources and critical minerals to defence technology.”

As the world marks International Women’s Day on March 8, the Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association (AREEA) is celebrating women who have shaped and those who continue to make their mark in Australia’s resources and energy sector.As part of its national TRAILBLAZERS campaign, AREEA is showcasing female pioneers and contemporary leaders contributing at every level of Australia’s resources sector — on site and offshore, in engineering and operations, in corporate and commercial roles and in executive leadership and boardrooms.In the Australian resources sector women hold only 25% of senior management roles, 32% of professional roles, 33% of apprentice roles and only 10% of technical and trades roles.Comparatively, 26% of chief executive role across all industries are held by women, yet only 8% of chief executive roles in the resources sector are held by women, according to AREEA.AREEA’s deputy chief executive Tara Diamond says these numbers highlight both the progress and the persistent gaps.“That’s why it’s critical that our industry actively recruits, retains and supports women so the next generation sees themselves reflected in the workforce, from site roles to the C-suite.”Some female industry TRAILBLAZER names are instantly recognisable, such as Hancock Prospecting executive chairman Gina Rinehart and Lynas Rare Earths (ASX: LYC) chief executive and managing director Amanda Lacaze.AREEA notes several other remarkable women whose achievements deserve recognition:Former Woodside executive vice president Eve Howell, who in 2006 assumed responsibility for the North West Shelf project, Australia’s largest and most complex resource development Marine Pilot shipmaster Carol Dooley, who in 2004 became the first woman in Australia to captain an LNG carrier and one of few female LNG captains in the world at that time“These Trailblazers demonstrate that incredible and groundbreaking role women have played and continue to play across technical excellence, leadership and innovation in the resources and energy industry,” Ms Diamond said.“International Women’s Day is a powerful reminder that while progress has been made, there is more to be done.“These women paved the way for future generations and helped build one of the most advanced, innovative and responsibly operated industries in the world.”Today, women continue to shape the future of Australia’s resources and energy sector, driving innovation, championing safety and sustainability and leading complex organisations through a rapidly changing energy and resources landscape.

The Queensland Government is reforming its resources safety framework after an independent review found Resources Safety and Health Queensland’s (RSHQ) governance to be lacking.The Resources Safety and Health Queensland and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 would implement the Queensland Government’s response to the 2025 review, which was conducted by The University of Queensland.The review, prepared by Professor Susan Johnston, found serious weaknesses in RSHQ’s governance, confusion around roles and a lack of clear accountability.The legislation proposes to address these deficiencies by establishing an independent skills-based Governing Board to strengthen oversight and accountability, streamline advisory structures and remove duplication.It will also transfer the statutory functions of the Commissioner for RSHQ to the new board to provide clearer lines of responsibility and stronger accountability.Increasing the coal mining safety and health advisory committee and the mining safety and health advisory committee functions to provide independent advice and enhance resources safety and health policy is also a target.Queensland Natural Resources and Mines Minister Dale Last says the review’s findings were sobering.“Every worker deserves to make it home safe to their family,” he said.According to SafeWork Australia, Queensland had the highest number of workplace deaths in 2024 out of all Australian states, accounting for 53 deaths out of 188.In the first week of January this year, two mine workers were killed in separate incidents at Mammoth underground coal mine and a gold operation near Nebo, southwest of Mackay.“The legislation we’ve introduced is making Queensland safer for every mine worker and will restore confidence in the resources safety framework,” Minister Last said.The bill also reforms the funding model for the land access ombudsman (LAO). The LAO will continue to be funded by the Queensland Government, with revised arrangements linking the LAO advisory council to Coexistence Queensland and repealing the industry levy and cost recovery funding model.“The Queensland Government wants to see more investment in Queensland’s resources sector which is why we will repeal legislation that would put the onus on mining companies to fund the LAO, removing unnecessary red tape and financial burden,” Minister Last said.“We are delivering a better lifestyle through a stronger economy by reducing industry costs so mining companies can get on with delivering jobs for Queenslanders.”

The Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association (AREEA) is lobbying for the revision of structural flaws as part of the Federal Government’s national employment standards (NES) review.As part of a submission to the House of Representatives Inquiry, AREEA calls on the Federal Government to use the NES review to fix Australia’s workplace laws, not expand entitlements or add more complexity and business costs, arguing that the central issue is the growing incoherence between the law and modern work practices.AREEA says the most urgent reform area is the application of public holiday provisions in 24/7 and remote workplaces, especially those in Australia’s mining sector.A 2023 Federal Court decision created confusion for employers operating continuous rosters, requiring them to request employees to work public holidays even where long-term roster arrangements already incorporate those days.AREEA chief executive Steve Knott says the NES review must fix what’s broken.“Nearly 17 years after the Fair Work Act was introduced, the system no longer reflects how work is actually performed, particularly in continuous, shift-based and FIFO operations that underpin Australia’s resources and energy sector,” he said.“In remote and offshore environments, employees cannot simply walk off site or down tools on a public holiday.“The law currently assumes a traditional Monday-to-Friday workplace. That is not how Australia’s resources industry and many others operate.”AREEA is calling for clear statutory rules that allow roster-based public holiday notifications for continuous operations, clarify how refusals are assessed in FIFO contexts and prevent double payment where public holidays are already priced into annualised salaries.“This is about restoring common sense and coherence to the safety net, not reducing employee protections,” Mr Knott said.“Our workplace laws must recognise that many employees are already compensated for working an assumed number of public holidays each year.AREEA also warned that prescriptive award-based record-keeping obligations attached to annualised salaries have become a major source of technical non-compliance, even where employees are paid well above award rates.“In many remote operations, highly skilled employees are paid guaranteed annual earnings significantly above minimum standards. Award rates become largely irrelevant,” Mr Knott said.“Yet employers are required to operate parallel time-recording systems solely to satisfy award technicalities that have no impact on pay outcomes.“The system has shifted from protecting employees against underpayment to penalising employers for paperwork defects.”AREEA’s submission also calls for moderation of annualised salary record-keeping rules, safe harbour compliance mechanisms and simplification of reconciliation requirements in 24/7 and roster-based environments.More than 15 years have passed since the Fair Work Act was implemented and over that period, significant changes in industry structure, technology and social expectations have occurred.Modern awards were intended by the Federal Government to supplement the NES, by providing a limited number of additional minimum standards tailored to particular industries and occupations, rather than requiring the NES itself to accommodate all forms of work.In AREEA’s view, this framework has been progressively undermined by judicial interpretation that seeks to shoehorn modern, flexible and salaried work arrangements into rigid NES concepts that were never designed for that purpose“The NES was designed to be clear, simple and enforceable,” Mr Knott said.“Instead, years of court rulings and piecemeal changes to the law have turned it into a source of duplication, uncertainty and litigation risk.“This review is an opportunity to modernise the safety net for modern work. It should not be used to expand regulation without evidence of need.”

The NSW Government has approved a six-year extension to the Dartbrook coal mine in the Hunter Valley, allowing operations to continue until December 2033.The mine’s current license allows for extraction of up to 6mtpa of coal and is valid until the end of 2027.The site has a history of financial challenges. The Dartbrook coal mine was placed into care and maintenance in late 2025, less than a year after new owners relaunched operations, after entering voluntary administration and receivership in July. This decision came after operators defaulted on a $202m loan.Later that month, as its financial standing deteriorated mass redundancies occurred across the site that saw a workforce reduction of about two-thirds.According to an economic analysis conducted by the NSW Government, the extension, known as MOD8, has a projected net benefit to the economy of $471m, including $73m in gross wages, 240 direct jobs and 613 indirect jobs.If the maximum extraction rates were realised, the total revenue would extend to $1.28b, according to the NSW Government.Muswellbrook Shire Council has been supportive of the extension but has conveyed concerns if any further extensions were to be considered.In a letter to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Muswellbrook Shire Council environmental planning director Sharon Pope said the original mine approvals were given in 2001 and were supported by an environmental impact statement (EIS) dated 2000.“Staff remain concerned that the original EIS no longer reflects current standards,” she said.“The age of the baseline data raises doubts about its reliability. Given these uncertainties, staff recommend no further time extensions after MOD8 unless comprehensive, up-to-date assessments are completed.”Underground mining has been approved at Dartbrook since 1991, however mining only occurred between 1996 to 2006.The previous operator, Anglo American, mothballed the site in 2006 following a series of safety challenges and operational concerns and three worker fatalities. The site had been idle for 19 years prior to the initial restart in 2024.

For the US, controlling key resources is now almost indistinguishable from power projection.This has become increasingly noticeable with deep sea mining.Seabed minerals have gained geopolitical importance in recent years as the energy transition drives up critical mineral demand and supply chain concentration raises security concerns around choke points.Countries are seeking to diversify supply chains in numerous ways, from forming progressive bilateral trade frameworks, increasing domestic production investment and now exploring non-terrestrial resources.Rich in polymetallic nodules containing nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese — metals crucial to green energy infrastructure and advanced technologies — the sea floor of the Pacific Ocean is of particular interest to deep sea miners.The Clarion-Clipperton zone (CCZ), an abyssal plain stretching between Hawaii and Mexico, is a hotspot for deep sea mining exploration. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) regulates mineral-related activities in ‘the Area’ — the seabed beyond national jurisdiction — which covers about 54% of the world’s ocean area.Deep sea mining has been controversial from the get-go due to complex and often unclear authority associated with international waters.ISA secretary general Leticia Carvalho says current policy settings allow countries to pursue deep sea mining within their own territorial waters or “exclusive economic zones”.“But, under international law, the deep seabed belongs to no single country or corporation,” she said.“It is our common heritage.”Early last year, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to advance deep-sea mining that would bypass the ISA in a move that reflects growing unilateralism within the US.Independent choices such as these places tension on already strained relationships that rely on collaboration and multilateral treaties for stability — especially when it comes to complex oceanic issues.The US’ move to fast-track deep-sea mining exacerbates existing tensions, such as those seen in the South China Sea where China and Japan have long disputed claims over territorial waters.Following the US’ move, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) consolidated previously fragmented permitting process to streamline deep sea mining approvals in the US.NOAA’s National Ocean Service also launched a new hydrographic survey project to map and characterise more than 55,000km2 of federal waters — an area abundant in polymetallic nodules rich in nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements — off American Samoa.Under international law, companies cannot mine in international waters without being officially sponsored by the relevant national government. This becomes particularly contentious within Pacific nations as they lie close together but are separately governed, like Samoa which is about only 80km from American Samoa.As a result, deep-sea mining companies see Pacific states as crucial partners to allow access reserved areas of the international seabed. This is potentially problematic as many of these states are considered developing countries and may lack the governance and authority to regulate the use of their territorial waters.New independent research commissioned by Greenpeace International shows that under a scenario where six deep sea mining sites begin operating in the early 2030s, the revenues that states would receive are extraordinarily small. This is in contrast to the mandate of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which requires mining to be carried out for the benefit of humankind as a whole.The research by legal professor Dr Harvey Mpoto Bombaka and development economist Dr Ben Tippet reveals that, under mechanisms proposed by the ISA profit sharing from deep sea mining, Pacific Island nations would receive about $65,000 per year in the short term, then about $350,000 per year in the medium term, averaging out to about $540,000 per year for 28 years.In contrast, according to the research, mining companies are projected to earn more than $19b per year."What’s described as global benefit-sharing based on equity and intergenerational justice increasingly looks like a framework for managing scarcity that would deliver almost no real benefits to anyone other than the deep sea mining industry,” Dr Mpoto Bombaka said.“The structural limitations of the proposed mechanism would offer little more than symbolic returns to the rest of the world, particularly developing countries lacking technological and financial capacity."Currently, 40 ISA member countries back a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep sea mining. The ISA will meet in March for its first session of the year.