A multinational resources company expressed deep sorrow about a remote employee being sexually assaulted at knifepoint.
Rio Tinto recently confirmed a female fly-in fly-out (FIFO) contractor was allegedly threatened with a “bladed weapon” and raped at an undisclosed Pilbara mine.
A male suspect is accused of attacking the woman while they were at the accommodation village back in July 2022. He was quickly removed from the premises after the alleged incident, terminated, charged and the matter is already being handled in court.
“We are distressed and saddened that one of our people has made a report of sexual assault at a Rio Tinto site. The incident was reported to WA Police and the alleged perpetrator was removed from site immediately,” a Rio spokesperson said according to Seven West Media.
“We will not be providing any specific details on the incident in consideration of the individual’s right to privacy and out of respect for any legal process,” the company added according to Fairfax Media.
Management earlier wrote to all employees, informing them rape is unlawful and applauded victims for coming forward about substandard employment conditions on July 21.
“Sexual assault is a serious criminal offence, and the impacts are devastating and long lasting,” Rio Pilbara mines managing director Matt Holcz and iron ore port, rail and core services managing director Richard Cohen jointly said in a memo obtained by the media outlet.
“It takes great courage to report such incidents and we are committed to treating them with the respect required.”
The proponent is already spending $200 million on upgrading lighting, CCTV and security systems at accommodation camps. A total of 16,000 new locks have been supplied and fitted at 24 villages across the Pilbara. Security body cameras have also been rolled out.
The Minerals Council of Australia and Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia recently sought advice on different legal avenues mining companies can explore to keep ‘sex pests’ away from mine sites.
One proposal involves requiring jobseekers to sign a statutory declaration, disclosing whether they were ever investigated for sexual harassment.
The State Government has already accepted several recommendations from the 2022 parliamentary inquiry into sexual harassment against women in the FIFO mining industry.
A new code of practice will be developed within the next 12 months to improve mine accommodation security. The State Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety will establish a new “culturally appropriate” specialist group within WorkSafe to handle sexual harassment and assault complaints.
A new 24/7 telephone helpline will be set up to handle industry professional enquiries. A state-funded legal service will also be available for alleged victims.
However, there will be no new public register of sex offenders despite the inquiry committee’s proposal to publicly shame and give recruiters an online portal to check whether jobseekers are blacklisted.
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