Connecting, nurturing and supporting women to achieve their goals within the Queensland Mining and Resources sector is the mission of Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ).
Each year, this non-profit organisation alongside the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), host the Resources Awards for Women on International Women’s Day to recognise outstanding women within industry. This year, Queensland Alumina Limited’s (QAL’s) Technical Services Manager, Ros Dalton, was named a runner up in the ‘Excellence in Diversity Programs and Performance for a Queensland Resources Company’ category.
Ros’s journey in industry started more than 20 years ago as a Chemist, where she swapped her lab coat to pursue a passion for production, leading her to work across many resource portfolios (copper, silver, gold, uranium, coal and alumina) across various localities of Australia.
Over the years, the challenges she experienced as a woman in a process environment shaped Ros’s determination to build a workplace that supports a diverse workforce.
The award recognises Ros, on behalf of QAL, for her leadership of QAL’s Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) Program, which actively works to create a place of business where everyone feels safe, respected, able to openly contribute and be themselves, and have an equal opportunity to progress in their careers.
Reflecting on the program’s impact at QAL, Ros said, “QAL started a body of work in 2014 that was focused around female inclusion in the workforce.
“We’ve since evolved our efforts to tackle the challenges of inclusivity across the entire business. We continuously check our progress and challenge our placements and appointments, and brainstorm new ways to recruit to gain more diverse candidates.
“This award represents the journey QAL has been on through our 55 years of operation, and the remarkable work our business, as well as our I&D committee of volunteers, has achieved.
“We now have many ways to promote I&D, including paid parental leave, flexible working arrangements for all including people on shift work, a mother’s room for returning new mothers, prayer rooms, and proactive manual handling reduction programs; all of which benefit the entire QAL workforce.
“Importantly, we have a culture where team members feel valued and able to openly contribute and be themselves.
“This is a continuous work in progress, and it’s wonderful to take a moment to reflect and celebrate the efforts we’ve made to increase inclusion at QAL.”
Background:
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) is Queensland’s peak body for coal, metal and gas explorers, producers and suppliers across the resources sector. It contributes one in every five dollars to the state economy, supports one in six Queensland jobs, supports more than 15,000 businesses and contributes to more than 1,400 community organisations – all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.
Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) is a reference group to the QRC. Founded in 2005, WIMARQ is a non-profit organisation dedicated to connecting, nurturing, and supporting women to achieve their goals within the state’s mining and resources sector and to influence improvements in gender diversity and inclusion outcomes through our thought leadership reference group.
