Queensland’s top resources sector women have been announced.
They are in the running for the annual Resources Awards for Women conducted by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and voluntary group Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ).
The winners of the award categories will be announced at the QRC/WIMARQ International Women’s Day Breakfast on 8 March, presented by BHP.
‘These awards play a pivotal role in our sector’s efforts to bring better gender balance to our workforce,’ said QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane.
‘The QRC and its members have a goal of at least 20 per cent women in ‘non-traditional’ roles—such as engineering, earth sciences, trades and operators—by 2020,’ he said.
‘Since 2006 these awards have provided a cohort of role models and ambassadors to inspire women to enter and remain in our resources sector.
‘The economic and social benefits of better gender balance for our sector is well made and we believe that women should have equal access to the rewarding and high-paying careers it offers.
‘Over the past 12 years since the introduction of our Women in Resources Action Plan, the proportion of women working in non-traditional roles in our sector in Queensland has risen from six per cent to 14 per cent in our latest survey of members.
‘Overall women now make up 16 per cent of our workforce, but obviously we still have a lot of work to do.
‘I’m hopeful that with the increasing emphasis placed on gender balance by our members, such as BHP, which has a goal of gender parity in all occupations by 2025, we will reach our goal.
‘If we are to attract the best and brightest into our increasingly technological sector, we need to scoop from the entire talent pool, not just half of it.’
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