Queensland Minister for Women Karen Struthers will officially launch the Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ) website on Tuesday 28 July.
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has sponsored the development of the site as part of its Women in Resources Action Plan, the organisation said in a statement.
QRC Chief Executive Michael Roche told MINING DAILY that, “The site is designed to reduce the sense of isolation that women can feel when they are one of only a few women on a mine site or a processing plant.”
“It will create the opportunity to interact using the latest in Web 2.0 technology,” he said. “We are looking to build on what we’ve been doing with QRC’s Women in Resources Action Plan. We are aiming to double the proportion of women in non-traditional roles in the resources sector to 12% by 2020.
“So far we’ve got up to 10%, so we’re tracking pretty well.
“Part of the action plan emphasises the role of networking and women supporting each other in their careers in the sector. We’ve been doing this through a whole range of events across the state.
“But you can only have so many events in a state as vast as Queensland.
“The website is building on that with a virtual presence across the state. We are hoping people in other states will link in.”
The site will be launched at the Royal on the Park in Brisbane.