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AFRIcA DoWn UnDeR discussion on women in mining featuring Primero’s Kristie
Curtin University’s Muza Gondwe convened a panel
Young, former AAMEG chief executive Trish O’Reilly and
Sipa Resources chief financial officer Tara Robson
Change for

the better

hile the global COVID-19 pandemic
Wcontinues to have major health and
financial consequences that are expected
to be felt for years to come, it may have trig-
gered an important cultural change in peo-
ple’s working behaviours.
Speaking as part of a panel session on
women in mining at Africa Down Under,
Primero Group Ltd non-executive director
Kristie Young suggested the period through
March to May this year when the majority of
people were working from home had dem-
onstrated to most employers the benefits of
flexible work hours and arrangements.
Young, who is also an advisor and direc-
tor of client development for software pro-
vider HardHat, said up until recently only
large companies had offered their employ-
ees such arrangements, although they had
not necessarily been able to pull it off.
“It was down to the culture of large com- mother or as someone in the industry, that and I think sometimes we forget that,” she
panies…they really wanted to be able to COVID was going to set us back because said.
allow their employees to work in a flexible never before have we had an opportunity to “I hate it when we’re collecting data and
way, but the culture of these companies say ‘guess what, we can work from home’,” it’s ‘50% of the women have to be in these
really didn’t enable them to do that, even she said. sort of positions’. No, if they’re not actually
though they wanted to,” she said. “We’ve been doing it for years…but you qualified then they shouldn’t be doing it.
“So I think one of the real advantages always had to earn that [option to work from “What we should be doing is encourag-
from COVID, if we look at the silver lining or home]. Now, when everybody’s doing it, ap- ing and mentoring and pushing women, be-
some of those positives, has been the abil- parently you can do it.” cause I actually think men and women are
ity of those companies to now allow their Gender diversity and respect towards equal, but I think women lack confidence
people to work in a flexible way and to work women was again in the spotlight recently and it’s about how we build that so that they
from home, which is something that had following comments by Fortescue Met- can do whatever they want to do.”
not really occurred in the past. Some of the als Group Ltd chief executive Elizabeth O’Reilly also wanted to address what she
companies now are looking at permanently Gaines about the skimpy barmaid culture referred to as the “elephant in the room” –
reducing the number of offices that they around the Diggers & Dealers conference women who get to the top but also “eat”
have in the city and allowing their people to in Kalgoorlie (see page 89). other women along the way.
work in a more flexible way. Gaines was also one of only three wom- “It’s shocking,” she said. “I think whatever
“The oil and gas companies like Wood- en on the main stage at Diggers, raising role you’re doing, pull women along with
side and Shell have made their people go further concerns about the lack of opportu- you; they’ve got the skills, they just need
back to work, which I found quite interest- nities for females in the sector. the confidence, and they need mentoring. If
ing, but for the mining companies it’s actu- Her comments were soon followed by the we do that, we’ll have a lot more women in
ally improved the way that they work. And news that upcoming float Monaghetti Min- [senior management] roles.”
it’s for both males and females…that’s the erals Ltd would be the first all-female-led Asked what could be done to encourage
important thing. You would think that will resources company when it debuts on the more women and more people of colour
have a positive effect on the diversity of the ASX in mid-2021. into technical roles, Young said it was up to
workforce as we move further into the fu- While Monaghetti’s efforts to set a new the industry to become better promotors of
ture.” benchmark for the industry were roundly the role it plays in diversity and inclusion.
Flexible working arrangements for future applauded by the panel, former Australia- “Getting females into technical roles in
generations was not something that Sipa Africa Minerals and Energy Group Ltd the first place is difficult, let alone the colour
Resources Ltd chief financial officer and (AAMEG) chief executive Trish O’Reilly of someone’s skin,” she said. “That’s some-
company secretary Tara Robson thought cautioned against appointing a person to a thing I think ties into the image of mining
would be possible in post-lockdown life. In role based on their gender. and something the mining industry needs
fact, she feared things could have gone fur- “You can have 100% of women on a to do a lot better in promoting.”
ther the other way once workforces started board, but you don’t just have a person on a
returning to the office. board because they’re a woman; you have – Michael Washbourne
“I had this great sense, whether it’s as a
a person on a board because of their skills

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