Sexual harassment at Western Australia mines 'appalling and systemic'

Image source, Getty Images

Colleagues rummaging through your drawers. In exchange for promotion, a boss demands sex. There are nude photos and assaults.

A state parliament inquiry was told of the experiences of women working in the mining industry.

Sexual harassment is rife at large mining firms' sites.

The report described the harassment as "appalling".

Australia's richest mining companies run large operations in the state's remote Pilbara region to find minerals.

Each season, thousands of workers are flown in and housed in village camp style accommodations.

Critics have been concerned about the hard-drinking, male-dominated culture that has been allowed to thrive at these sites.

It was prompted by previous court cases. Some of the state's biggest miners and government regulators were examined.

The chair of the inquiry said that hearing the lived reality of the attacks was shattering.

According to the report, one woman said she was knocked unconscious in her donga and woke up to find her jeans and underwear around her ankle.

One person said that he had been sexually harassed at every single site he had visited.

"From inappropriate comments and innuendo, to salacious rumors, being touched without my consent, and being cornered in a laundry, to being genuinely fearful I was about to be assault, the degree to which has varied from inappropriate comments and innuendo, to salacious rumors, being touched without my

Women reported that if they didn't comply with sexual requests, iron Ore would be dumped on their trucks.

In the past, companies like Rio Tinto have promised to make changes.

The company told the inquiry that it had fired 48 staff for inappropriate conduct over the course of two years.

More than 20 women have reported rape or attempted rape in the past five years, and Rio Tinto promised to improve camp facilities.

There were 24 recommendations made in Thursday's report.

Regulators should look into whether a register of offenders could be used to stop serial harassers from moving from site to site.