As key commodity prices are weak and there is little optimism for a rebound anytime soon, Marmion says there has never been a better time for industry to improve its gender balance.

“To me, it’s a no-brainer,” he said yesterday at the Women in Energy and Resource Leadership Summit 2015.

“With the industry facing some challenges, there is no better time than now for companies to further embrace the advantages of gender balance.

“Increasing the number of women in executive roles will provide important leadership as Western Australia works smarter to maintain and extend our global mining and petroleum strength.”

Referring to a 2013 study by the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy, Marmion said resource industry teams including women demonstrated higher levels of innovation and creativity.

The study also found that when women are part of mine site workforces’ better care is taken of equipment, while workplace relations and overall safety records improve. However, these benefits remain limited, with the study showing women make up just 19% of the resource sector’s workforce. Of these, 16% are working in management roles.

Bouncing off these findings, Marmion challenged industry to increase female participation in key positions and said the government would do its part to help.

“Many WA resources companies have excellent programs to encourage female employment and advancement but the industry still needs more women at the corporate level, in senior management and onsite,” he said.

“I’m pleased to be able to say that the Department of Mines and Petroleum recognises the importance of a strong female presence across senior management, with women in the positions of deputy director general and petroleum general manager.”

The state government recently convened the first of three WA Women’s Consultative Forums, which seeks to represent women and encourage increased participation in key industries including resource-related engineering, science and technology.

“We’re committed to working with industry to promote women’s career pathways, which start at high school,” Marmion said.

“Next week I will announce the winners of the Minerals Research Institute of WA Odwyn Jones Awards (for fourth year undergraduate research projects), and I am happy to say that almost half the applicants are young women.”