Journalist groped at mining forum

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Journalist groped at mining forum

The Goldfield's largest newspaper says that reform in the mining industry is needed after a 23-year-old journalist was allegedly groped after this year's Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum.

In the wake of last week's showcase mining event, Kalgoorlie Miner deputy editor Amber Lilley made the allegations on the front page of Tuesday's newspaper.

Ms Lilley alleges she was groped and sexually propositioned in a crowded bar after a conference event that left her shocked and disgusted and feeling vulnerable. A man in mining told me he had a 'rager' over me, she said.

He then proceeded to tell me to 'call him daddy' before groping me as I walked away from the crowd, and he followed. Kalgoorlie Miner, owned by the West Australian, which ran an editorial titled 'Diggers is done unless it cleans up its act, has lodged a complaint with the man's company and West Australian Police.

The incident came after the release of a report into sexual assault and harassment within WA's fly-in, fly-out mining industry, which found women had been subject to an appalling range of behaviour while covering the event. Ms Lilley said that she was not the only instance of inappropriate behaviour made by event goers while at a bar.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder mayor John Bowler called the article an unjust criticism of the conference.

Diggers is getting an unwarranted bad rap because of one poor joke by one poor comedian and one sexist comment by one stupid delegate, he said.

Mr Bowler said he applauded Ms Lilley for calling out the man who made the sexist remarks at a bar but also said the connection to Diggers and Dealers was ridiculous. What about the other 2,599 delegates and more importantly, the women who own and run the forum, who were justifiably proud after last week, but still need to be devastated at what seems like a smear campaign that will only end when Diggers moves out of Kalgoorlie. Ms Lilley spoke on ABC radio and said her experience did not apply to the conference itself, but was instead a reflection of the behaviour she witnessed while covering all aspects of the forum.

She said that my observations and experience did not apply to the conference itself.

Diggers and Dealers were an outstanding display of professionalism in the daytime.

West Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy chief executive Rob Carruthers said more needed to be done to combat sexual assault in the industry.

This type of behaviour has no place in any part of society, including extensions of the work environment, Mr Carruthers said.

He said the chamber and its member companies condemned the behaviour in the strongest terms.

As an industry, we must do better by education our people about what is and isn't appropriate and by calling out behaviour when it doesn't meet the required standards. Ms Lilley said industry leaders had the right attitude and a willingness to stamp out sexual assault in the mining industry, but said it would never be enough until zero women were sexually harassed.