West Australian journalist alleges she was groped and propositioned after mining event

A young WA journalist says she was “shocked and disgusted” after allegedly being groped and propositioned in a crowded bar after a mining event.

A young journalist has claimed she was groped and told she gave a man a “rager” at an annual mining event – that left her feeling “shocked and disgusted”.

The incident unfolded after last week’s Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum in Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia’s Goldfields-Esperance region, Kalgoorlie Miner deputy editor Amber Lilley alleged in the West Australian on Tuesday.

In an opinion piece, Lilley, 23, alleged she was left “feeling vulnerable” after being groped and sexually propositioned in a crowded bar after the mining event.

“A man in mining told me he had a ‘rager’ over me,” she claimed.

“He then proceeded to tell me to, ‘Call him daddy’, before groping me as I walked away through the crowd, and he followed.”

Kalgoorlie Miner, owned by the West Australian, published an additional editorial with the headline, “Diggers is done unless it cleans up its act”.

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Amber Lilley alleged she was groped at a bar after the Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum. Picture: Facebook

The publication also filed a complaint with WA Police and the alleged offender’s employer.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has since described the incident as “very disappointing”.

“I’d urge the industry and the people involved to make sure they do the right thing,” he said, according to the West Australian.

“They’re obviously under a lot of scrutiny and they need to be very careful about their actions.”

Diggers and Dealers chairman Jim Walker said he was “saddened and disappointed to learn of the alleged incident”, the publication reported.

“While the [alleged] incident did not occur at a Diggers and Dealers event, the forum has a zero-tolerance policy towards such behaviour,” he said, adding it was expected that everyone involved with the event should act in a “respectful and inclusive manner”.

Chamber of Minerals and Energy acting chief executive Rob Carruthers has apologised to Lilley for the “appalling behaviour she experienced”.

Amber Lilley’s employer has filed a complaint with police and the accused man’s employer. Picture: Facebook

“CME and its member companies condemn this behaviour in the strongest terms and we again reiterate our commitment to ensuring it is not only eliminated from the workplace, but from all work-related environments,” he said.

Association of Mining and Exploration Companies chief executive Warren Pearce said the industry was working hard to stop such attitudes and behaviour.

“It’s quite clear that some people in the industry haven’t got the message,” he told the publication.

“What we’re trying to do is to drive these attitudes and these people out of the industry.”