Fortescue Faces Landmark Class Action Over Systemic Sexual Harassment at Remote Mine Sites

Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue is facing a class action lawsuit from female workers over allegations of systemic sexual harassment, violence, and retaliation at the iron ore miner’s remote work sites. The lawsuit, filed in the federal court in Victoria, includes harrowing accounts: one woman was pulled into a dark alley where a man “tried to stick his tongue down my throat,” another found a male stranger in her room, and a third was “howled” at by male colleagues in a communal eating area.

The class action, filed by law firm JGA Saddler and backed by UK litigation funder Aristata Capital, alleges that women were warned against washing their underwear in on-site laundries due to rampant theft of female underwear. “It is horrendous to think mining women should have to worry about what should be a mundane task,” said JGA Saddler special counsel Paris Hamrey.

Fortescue’s iron ore mines are located in remote parts of Western Australia, with a large fly-in, fly-out workforce staying in on-site accommodation. The litigation tests whether Fortescue is liable for failing to protect female workers from discrimination and sexual harassment from 2006 to 2025.

A Fortescue spokesperson stated the company is committed to a safe, respectful workplace and that sexual harassment has “no place at Fortescue.” This is the third class action JGA Saddler has filed against a major mining company, following similar claims against BHP and Rio Tinto, which remain before the courts. Hamrey emphasized that the mining industry has a real problem with women, and companies need to strengthen and enforce policies to ensure safety.