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Mining giant Fortescue has moved to suspend a senior executive from working for the company while allegations of sexual harassment and bullying are being investigated by law firm MinterEllison.
Just last week the Western Australia miner defended its decision not to stand down the executive at the centre of the investigation while the probe was under way, saying it had taken extensive external legal and governance advice to come to that decision.
But on Tuesday, Fortescue said the employee will be suspended. “It has been decided that the employee who is the subject of the allegations will not undertake any work for Fortescue while the investigation continues,” a spokesperson said.
“The investigation is ongoing and no findings have been made. Sexual harassment, unlawful discrimination and any behaviour that makes people feel unsafe have no place at Fortescue.”
The company said the allegations, which have been under investigation for at least five weeks, were being “treated extremely seriously”. Fortescue has continued to take external legal and governance advice as the investigation has progressed, but the company would not indicate when it expects the probe to be finalised.
Fortescue, chaired by billionaire Andrew Forrest, is one of Australia’s largest mining companies, with a market value of about $55 billion. It operates multiple mine sites in Western Australia’s iron-ore-rich Pilbara region.
Mine sites in remote regions of Australia are dominated by large groups of mostly male workers who stay for lengthy periods under fly-in, fly-out rosters. As its workforce diversifies, the industry has suffered a series of damaging revelations about female employees facing extensive sexual harassment at remote mining camps.
While the investigation into the executive is ongoing and no findings have been made, Fortescue is also facing a separate class action lawsuit from female employees who allege widespread sexual harassment and assault at its remote mining sites. The women claim their male co-workers steal underwear from public laundries, and say they are unable to go to the gym because men touch them inappropriately.
The lawsuit was filed by JGA Saddler in June and includes 45 testimonials from women describing incidents while working on the company’s remote operations.
The company last week released its annual sustainability report, which details 29 cases of sexual harassment or discrimination over the year to July. One worker was sexually assaulted, 13 were subject to inappropriate sexual contact, another 10 were sexually harassed, and five faced racism or related discrimination, the report notes.
Alleged sexual harassment on mining sites is not solely Fortescue’s problem. Female workers at mining operations across the industry, including at rivals BHP and Rio Tinto, face similar challenges.
BHP has previously reported at least 150 of its employees were subjected to sexual harassment, including indecent touching and stalking, or the subject of racial abuse, in the 12 months to June. About 131 employees at the global resources giant were sacked or resigned in response.
Both BHP and Rio Tinto are subject to separate sexual harassment or discrimination class actions lodged in 2024 that are still before the courts. An independent report commissioned by Rio found in 2022 that sexual harassment was widespread among its fly-in, fly-out workers. A parliamentary inquiry uncovered similar allegations at BHP in 2021.
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