PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME) on Friday announced that a peer support programme, developed in partnership with Lifeline WA, would include sexual assault and sexual harassment modules.

The programme is being rolled out to the Western Australian mining and resources sector, where a Parliamentary Inquiry recently found that sexual harassment has long been prevalent across the industry.

The CME on Friday said that the Resourceful Mine programme aims to identify “go-to” people among on-site communities and provide them with the skills required to have important conversations with colleagues experiencing mental health challenges and, if necessary, guide them towards further assistance.

The mental health support programme, which involves training delivered by Lifeline WA’s expert crisis supporters, was backed by an independent study by Edith Cowan University’s (ECU’s) School of Medical Health Sciences, to be both safe for minders and fit for purpose.

The sexual assault and harassment modules were included during the programme’s pilot phase, having been designed with input from the Sexual Assault Research Centre.

“CME and its member companies are already undertaking a wide range of work to eliminate unacceptable behaviour and ensure all employees feel safe and respected while at work or in work-adjacent settings,” CME manager of health, safety and people Laila Nowell said.

“But in doing this we have also been mindful of the need to provide the best possible support for anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault or sexual harassment.

“It's really important that a trauma-informed approach is taken and the introduction of these modules recognises that people may not always be comfortable reporting incidents formally in the first instance or even at a later date, and may instead seek to have a conversation with a colleague.

“The seminars involved in the module have been made available to all mining and resources sector companies, irrespective of whether they fall under the CME banner or are participants in Resourceful Mind peer support programme.

“The aim is to ensure that people who have experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault feel heard, supported and are aware of other forms of assistance they can access.”

Resourceful Mind was introduced as a pilot programme last year at CME member companies Roy Hill, Mineral Resources, Woodside and Simcoa, with 132 workers initially training to be minders.

There are now 270 minders currently enrolled in training, with further intakes planned in August and October as the programme is rolled out more widely across the sector.

Lifeline WA CEO Lorna MacGregor said Resourceful Mind trained minders to navigate a wide range of challenging conversations.

“It could be everything from anxiety, to family or financial problems, depression and, in the case of these modules, sexual assault and harassment,” MacGregor said.

“It takes courage for someone to come forward and have those conversations with a colleague and the most important thing is that they feel comfortable and supported doing so and that hopefully they won’t hesitate to do so again in the future.

“Our minders in no way replace professional counsellors or psychologists but they are a very valuable first point of contact for people experiencing challenging circumstances and, where appropriate, to guide those people towards further assistance.

“It’s crucial to note that the psychological health and safety of the minders is also of paramount importance to us, and that was a major aspect of the ECU research which found there were no negative impacts in terms of general health, self-esteem and burnout levels.”

CME and its member companies are currently in the process of reviewing in detail the report from the Parliamentary Inquiry into sexual harassment against women in the fly-in, fly-out mining industry, including the suite of recommendations outlined within it and how these might be addressed in a practical way that delivers positive outcomes.