Indigenous women’s participation in the Australian mining industry

Speakers:  Florence Drummond, Chief Executive Officer, Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources (IWIMRA) and Joni Parmenter, Research Fellow, Centre for Social Responsiblity in Mining, SMI

Abstract: The prevailing view in the literature is that women are more adversely impacted by mining than men, largely due to women being excluded from negotiations and access to benefits, such as employment. Despite industry efforts to increase female participation over the past decade or so, the mining industry remains male dominated. Very few studies provide any substantial employment data on Indigenous women or detail their experience working at industrial scale mines. This seminar presents an overview of Indigenous women’s participation and experiences working in the Australian resources sector. We explore the implications of corporate strategies that focus on gender for Indigenous women and an argument is made for highlighting the needs of this group to provide further opportunities for Indigenous women who choose to work in the sector.