Fortescue suspends executive over sexual harassment allegations
Australian miner Fortescue has suspended an executive over sexual harassment allegations, and engaged law firm MinterEllison to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.
The incident is being treated “extremely seriously” and the employee is being stood down while the probe continues, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. “Sexual harassment, unlawful discrimination and any behavior that makes people feel unsafe have no place at Fortescue.”
The iron-ore producer, led by billionaire Andrew Forrest, is already facing a class action lawsuit filed in July that alleges it failed to protect female workers from sexual harassment and discrimination at its mine sites. Similar cases were lodged in Australia against fellow miners BHP Group and Rio Tinto Group in 2024, and are ongoing.
Fortescue released a sustainability report last week, which showed it reported a total of 98 “psychsocial matters” to authorities in the 2026 financial year, 20% less than the previous period. These included one sexual assault, 13 incidents of inappropriate sexual contact and 10 sexual harassment incidents.
Australia’s mining industry has repeatedly been in the spotlight over systemic sexual harassment, assault and discrimination across its remote mine sites, with the state government of Western Australia holding a landmark inquiry into the issue in 2022.
