Key facts
- Fortescue, the world's fourth-largest iron ore miner, is facing a class action lawsuit over alleged sexual harassment at its remote mining sites.
- The lawsuit was filed by law firm JGA Saddler, which has previously filed similar suits against Rio Tinto and BHP.
- Allegations include theft of underwear from laundries, inappropriate touching, and uninvited entry into women's rooms.
- Women who report incidents face demotion, dismissal, silencing, or blacklisting from the industry.
- Fortescue reported 22 sexual harassment cases in the 2025 financial year, a decrease from the previous year.
- Rio Tinto logged 702 incidents of harmful workplace behaviors, while BHP reported 429 sexual harassment incidents in 2025.
Fortescue, the world's fourth-largest iron ore producer, is now the latest Australian mining company to face a class action lawsuit alleging widespread sexual harassment at its remote mining sites. The suit, filed by law firm JGA Saddler, details allegations of women feeling unsafe, experiencing theft of personal items, inappropriate touching, and uninvited entry into their rooms.
JGA Saddler, which has also initiated similar legal actions against mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP, stated that women who report incidents often face demotion, dismissal, or blacklisting from the industry. The firm presented 45 testimonials from women describing their experiences at Fortescue's sites.
In 2022, the Western Australian government recommended significant changes to the mining industry following a report detailing prevalent sexual harassment and assault in the fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) sector. Women constitute 22% of the mining industry's workforce.
Fortescue reported 22 cases of sexual harassment to Western Australia's mines safety regulator in the 2025 financial year, a 27% decrease from the prior year. In contrast, Rio Tinto's care hub logged 702 incidents of disrespectful or harmful workplace behaviors, a 24% increase, while BHP reported 429 incidents of sexual harassment in 2025, with 100 individuals responsible being fired or resigning.