Detailed in a Queensland Resources Council sponsored report on practices to foster female participation in the mining and energy sector, some companies are offering miners the chance to bring their spouse or family members onto the payroll even if they have no prior mining experience.

BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s Norwich Park mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin has a family partnership program in place where immediate family members of miners living in Dysart can get a kick-start into mining.

Successful candidates to the program will gain experience in operating a rear dump truck during an eight-week stint working for the mine’s contracting company.

At the completion of the program the candidates are encouraged to apply for relevant advertised positions at the mine.

Rio Tinto Coal Australia’s Clermont mine has taken a flexible approach to work arrangements, where couple rooms are available as onsite accommodation for workers in relationships.

Workers are also given a choice to either live residentially or to commute to the site.

Anglo Coal has had 26% of new recruits in 2007 being female, a jump from 21% in the previous year.

Women from the local community are targeted for operator roles by the offer of training and flexible shifts.

Macarthur Coal is aiming to reach an overall female participation level of 15% for all workforce positions.

The company offers to train inexperienced people in operator positions and females consequently represent 17.5% of the Coppabella mine workers.

Construction and mining contractor Thiess has a 20% target for the Lake Vermont development in the Bowen Basin.

Covering the spectrum of roles including mine workers, technicians, engineers, graduates and supervisory positions, a “mummy shift” is on the table where relevant employees can take up a roster with job-share arrangements and part-time opportunities.

Meanwhile, Xstrata Queensland scooped up a Best Company Initiative award from the QRC when the part-time roster at its Ernest Henry Mine was featured on national television, which pushed up female representation of mining technicians to 20%.

Negotiated start and finish times can allow for workers to pick up their children from day care after the shift is complete in what became known as the mine’s “mummy run”.

Other company policies to encourage female participation can be found in the QRC report online at: http://www.qrc.org.au/_dbase_upl/Women%20Leading%20Practice_08%20WEB.pdf