Diversity & inclusion
Kelly Carter, Stuart Jenner, Felicia Binks, Guilia Savio, Shae Russell and Rebecca Johnston at the Women in Gold Great Debate. Image: GIG.
Diversity debate expands on need for multi-dimensional approach FEMALE REPRESENTATION AND DIVERSITY IN MINING REMAIN HOT TOPICS WORTH DEBATING, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE GOLD INDUSTRY GROUP DID AT ITS ANNUAL WOMEN IN GOLD GREAT DEBATE. SALOMAE HASELGROVE WRITES.
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old Industry Group (GIG) has tackled the topic, ‘a diversity debate that begins and ends with gender is doomed to fail’ in 2019, with teams in Perth and for the first time Melbourne and Sydney facing off with opinions on the topic. Safe to Work has watched on in Melbourne as four speakers, with vastly different examples of how this topic is a part of their careers and personal lives, debate for and against the statement.
For the proposition, Gold Road Resources general manager for capability and culture Stuart Jenner teams up with Kirkland Lake Gold environment and community manager Felicia Binks. The opposing team features Newcrest Mining principal for diversity and inclusion Giulia Savio and Agora Financial Australia chief editor Shae Russell. Jenner starts the discussion, posing “diversity is more than one or
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two dimensional,” speaking about the overcomplication of gender quotas potentially preventing opportunities for other minority groups. He then pulls at the crowd’s heartstrings, sharing his concerns for his daughter, who is living with a rare medical condition. Jenner says he fears she may struggle to enter the workforce someday, due to the still prominent gaps in diversity for issues apart from gender, such as disability but also race, religion,