BMA Childcare, launched by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, has won this year’s Excellence in Diversity Programs and Performance award at the Queensland Resources Council’s Resources Awards for Women.
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) hosted its 19th awards ceremony on 2 April at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The BMA Childcare Project addresses critical childcare shortages and enhances access to early childhood and school-aged care in Moranbah and Dysart. The project supports professional development for educators and advocates for long-term solutions to regional childcare challenges.
As Mining.com.au previously reported, a report released by The Parenthood revealed 86% of families living in regional, rural, and remote communities are struggling to access childcare options.
Speaking to this news service, QRC Chief Executive Janette Hewson says resource operations are primarily based in regional and remote locations, and as such, there are challenges around availability for accommodation and access to services such as health, education, and daycare.
“These impediments exist for both women and men,” Hewson tells Mining.com.au.
“In particular, limited access to childcare can present a significant challenge and the QRC is a strong advocate for more childcare facilities in regional and remote areas to help address this issue.”
BHP reports there are an estimated 822 childcare places required in coal mining regions such as Moranbah, Dysart, Blackwater, and Emerald. In addition, there are an estimated 508 after school care facilities needed, with only 306 available.
BMA Childcare’s key achievements include establishing the Childcare Leadership Alliance (CLA), recruiting more than 30 international educators, reducing waitlists by 50% and enabling approximately 100 families to access care.
At the award ceremony, QRC revealed its latest data which shows the proportion of women employed in Queensland’s resources sector increased to a new record high of 23% in 2023-24.
In Queensland, the number of women in the state’s resources workforce has risen by 1.5% to a new record of 8,681 in 2023-24. Hewson says this year’s record result is “outstanding”.
“It’s incredible to see the 610% increase in the number of women in trade roles over the past decade, a clear sign our industry is more diverse and inclusive in its attraction, recruitment and retention programs,” she says.
“The data is solid proof that our members’ efforts to make the Queensland resources sector a fair and inclusive sector that reflects the diversity of our communities are having an impact.”
Sally Rayner, Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) co-chair, says Queensland’s resources sector is employing more women than the national average, as well as attracting younger talent.
“In 2023-24, 8,681 women benefitted from well-paying jobs and career development in our state’s mining and energy companies, and we hope that number continues to grow,” Rayner says.
“More than 40% of those women were 34 years or younger in 2023-24, an increase on the 38 per cent reported in the previous year and well above the 32 per cent reported in the wider Australian mining workforce.”
In addition to the Excellence in Diversity Programs award, Glencore’s (LON:GLEN) head of capital studies and projects Jackie Rose’Meyer won the Exception Woman in Queensland Resources award, while Stanmore’s (ASX:SMR) principal business improvements Ashley McCarty-Griffiths won the Exceptional Young Woman award.
Other award winners include The University of Queensland’s Nikky LaBranche, South32’s (ASX:S32) Kylee Frankee, BHP’s (ASX:BHP) Chika Onyeogaziri, and Moanbah State High School’s Jixie Navarro.
The 2025 Resources Awards for Women, co-hosted by QRC and WIMARQ, is supported by BMA, Australia’s largest producer and supplier of metallurgical coal and operator of five Bowel Basin mines and the Hay Point Coal Terminal.
The QRC is Queensland’s peak body for coal, metal, and gas explorers, producers and suppliers. The resource sector contributes one in every four dollars to the state economy, supports one in six Queensland jobs, supports 17,000 businesses, and contributes to more than 1,600 community organisations.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: The Queensland Resources Council
