WA mining sector sexual: Committee member Kim Giddens speaks out on mining harassment experience

One of the politicians behind the explosive report on sexual assault and harassment in WA’s resources sector has revealed she too was “seriously harassed” while working on a mine site. Bateman MP Kim Giddens was a haul truck driver when she made the move to WA about 15 years ago, having heard of the abundant mining jobs on offer, but what she wasn’t expecting from a job in the State’s north was the sexual harassment she would have to endure. The Labor MP was one of five politicians responsible for grilling executives from WA’s biggest mining and oil and gas companies — including BHP, Rio Tinto and Woodside — as well as the State’s Department of Mines about “horror stories” of “powerplay behaviour” forced upon women that worked in WA’s resources sector. They also read and heard those stories from dozens of female workers who — like Ms Giddens — personally experienced harassment onsite. The enquiry revealed 74 per cent of women working in the mining industry reported being sexually harassed and made a suite of recommended improvements for the industry and Government. Ms Giddens commended the committee’s 178-page bombshell report when it was tabled in State Parliament on Thursday and then made a small but powerful personal reference to her own experience in mining. “When I began today, I spoke about what drew me to WA’s resources industry,” she said. “As I conclude, I add my voice to those women who appeared before our committee, and as one of the 74 per cent of women in this industry who have experienced sexual harassment.” While she declined to go into the specifics of her experiences, she told The West Australian that she had made the point because she wanted to stand with the brave women who provided evidence to the enquiry who she called “heroes”. “The harassment I experienced was serious,” she said. “I don’t wish to go to the detail of my experiences — I simply want to add my voice to theirs and to point out just how prevalent sexual harassment is in this sector.” Ms Giddens worked as a haul truck driver from 2007 to 2009 in the Northern Territory and two different FIFO sites in WA and adamantly believes that the culture has gone backwards since her years on site. “From the evidence we heard, I would conclude the culture on mine sites today is worse than when I left the industry over a decade ago,” she said. “This makes sense — if poor behaviour is ignored it can become the norm, which in turn contributes to an even more hostile and unsafe workplace for women.” The inquiry and parliamentary report tabled on Thursday was triggered by a series of ground-breaking stories in The West Australian that exposed rampant sexual misconduct in the mining industry, starting with an alleged rape at a BHP site in the Pilbara. The inquiry received 87 written submissions — including 55 from people with personal experience of sexual misconduct — and 44 people representing companies including mining giants BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group. Ms Giddens said the explosive report, which was titled Enough is Enough, demonstrated clearly how women in the industry have not enjoyed standards of employment, safety or wellbeing that are “anywhere near approaching best practice”. “In fact, women, in large numbers, have been subjected to sexual harassment, assault and rape while working in WA’s resources industry. This is not good enough,” she said. “We heard from women who were told to ‘get on their knees’, from women waking up with no recollection of how they got back to their rooms, and from women truck operators who had complained of sexual harassment having loads of dirt dumped in their truck so that the truck shakes violently in an act called ‘shovelling’.” Liberal deputy Libby Mettam, who headed the committee probing the sector, praised her Labor counterpart’s resolve throughout the inquiry process and said that even she was not previously aware of Ms Giddens’ personal connection to the matter. “These issues are very raw for anyone who has had a traumatic experience of that kind,” Ms Mettam said. “I didn’t know about it beforehand but what I will say is this would be challenging for any woman who had a previous experience and we certainly value her commitment to this report and as a valuable member of the team.” Key among the committee’s 24 recommendations was for a forum to document and acknowledge the experiences of victims of historical workplace sexual harassment, dismissal clauses and legal action for workers who seek sexual favours for advantage and moderated drinking standards along with suitable security and safety measures, such as CCTV, at all FIFO accommodation sites. Another calls for an industry-wide register that would stop sacked perpetrators from job-hopping. But when quizzed last week, neither Premier Mark McGowan nor Women’s Interests Minister Simone McGurk would confirm if the Government would implement the registrar. Ms McGurk said the Government would look at all the recommendations to see whether they were practical at a workplace level but would not say whether it would support a register for perpetrators of sexual misconduct specifically. Mr McGowan insisted the Government would look into the proposal but “you’ve got to make sure you don’t have people who are unfairly targeted”. Ms Giddens believes the register would help instill a sense of safety for women working in the mining industry- something she believes is currently missing. “The idea of a register does present some challenges, but I believe measures to strengthen pre-employment checks and to prevent persistent perpetrators from simply ‘job hopping’ will send an important message that this type of behaviour is unacceptable,” she said. “To the women who shared with our committee their often-harrowing personal experiences of sexual harassment and assault, you spoke with courage and determination, and with a clear view to a better future for yourself and the women who walk alongside you, and, importantly, those who will come behind you. “Your message was clear, and we heard you. You just want this to stop. Enough is Enough.”