Timeline Newmont Celebrates 100 Years

working in the industry as a machine operator. I worked in a remote location and struggled to really find opportunities to grow and progress within my career [...] So, it was important to reach out and see if there was any support, specifically for Indigenous people - but there wasn’t any. It’s what led me to start the conversation on Facebook, to make social connections and identify if anyone else was feeling the same frustrations.”

However, as IWIMRA grew, the incident at Juukan Gorge and the Indigenous engagement that followed it, running the IWIMRA, was perceived as a conflict of interest for Drummond due to her position.

“It was about this time I understood how IWIMRA could be utilised better for our online community and for people in our networks who wanted to learn more. I had to choose whether I wanted to continue my supervisor role or fully commit to IWIMRA, and I went with IWIMRA, which was scary as heck, but a really empowering decision to make,” explains Drummond.

IWIMRA’s Mission

“IWIMRA is a network to raise the profile of Indigenous women. To encourage visibility, voice and quality participation of Indigenous women in the Australian mining and resources industry,” explains Drummond.

While many companies are driving Indigenous employment and engagement campaigns, the purpose of the initiatives is often not clearly communicated at an operational level.

“There are no formal safe spaces for Indigenous people to have a yarn and talk about issues, which is why I am looking forward to addressing racism on-site, as it is a key contributor and barrier for women,” adds Drummond.

With the industry facing a call to action for better and more transparent communication on functions in the mining industry, IWIMRA addresses this issue by sharing profiles within its network, creating a safe space for Indigenous

“Over the past two years, we have seen the organic growth of our network to our international communities, who through our shared history and culture, have much to learn from each other. It is a relationship we will continue to nurture as the functionality of digitalisation continues to become accessible in the regions.”

women to find their voice, understand their value, and how their voice can influence.

“We find that one of the common elements is that people on the ground, who feel they’re being treated poorly and can’t do anything about it, often aren’t aware of options to make changes. This was a huge call to action for us to build on people’s self-confidence, to communicate, ask questions, take ownership and find their voice to shape their own narrative,” comments Drummond.