In the cool, pre-dawn dark of the Hunter Valley, headlights slice through mist rising off the coal-rich hills of New South Wales. At the mouth of an underground mine, where the black seam of carbon disappears into rock, a crew gathers for the start of shift. Steel-capped boots crunch across gravel. Clipboards are signed. Lamps flicker to life.
Among the crew is something once rare and still quietly remarkable: women—confident, capable, and clad in high-vis—gearing up to descend into the mine. They're leading pre-starts, driving shuttle cars, managing ventilation, running the control room. In an industry once defined by rough hands and tougher attitudes, these women are helping redraw the map of Australian mining, from the pit face to the boardroom.
Once the crucible of a fiercely masculine culture, the mining sector is—gradually, but unmistakably—changing. Women are no longer outliers. They are becoming central to the rhythm and resilience of an industry that has long dictated the tempo of the nation’s economy.
According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, women now make up around 20% of Australia’s mining workforce, up from just 11% in 2006. That growth is visible not just in the numbers, but in the leadership: engineers, geologists, safety officers, and longwall operators making their mark below the surface. At sites across NSW, the change is being measured not just in inclusion—but in outcomes. BHP and Glencore have reported that more diverse teams perform better on key safety and productivity metrics.
Still, change doesn’t come easy. High-profile inquiries into workplace harassment have forced industry leaders to reckon with a legacy of exclusion. In response, initiatives like WISER (Women In Sustainable Energy & Resources) are rising—networks built to support, mentor, and advocate for women in resource-intensive industries. Cultural transformation, it turns out, requires more than policy. It requires persistence.
It also requires partners. Keeping every worker safe—regardless of gender—is the remit of frontline safety providers, who prepare crews for the harshest environments Australia has to offer. Zokal Safety Services, headquartered in New South Wales, has served the mining industry for over 35 years, providing industrial safety training, confined space rescue, gas monitoring systems, and life-support equipment servicing.
“We salute the women taking up the torch in Australia’s underground mines,” a spokesperson from Zokal says. “As safety providers, we see firsthand how diversity on site strengthens teams. The more inclusive the workforce, the more engaged and safety-conscious it becomes. It’s a win for everyone.”
Programs encouraging women to enter mining are also picking up momentum. In NSW and across the country, educators and industry leaders are collaborating to introduce school-aged girls to careers once deemed off-limits—from geology and engineering to diesel mechanics and explosives handling. That early exposure, coupled with structured career paths, is helping to erode outdated assumptions.
And the mines? They don’t care about gender. They care about vigilance, competence, communication—and, above all, safety. As more women descend into shafts, climb into dozers, and manage operations deep beneath the surface, they’re not just filling roles. They’re rewriting the narrative.
The bedrock is shifting—but not with collapse. With steady, measured progress