In 2022, mining giant Rio Tinto discovered it had a massively troubling workplace culture pervading the company from its corporate offices to remote mine sites – including serious incidents of rape, bullying, sexual harassment and racism.

Two years into its program to change that culture, the shocking rates of harmful behaviour haven’t improved and the number of reported sexual assaults has even worsened.

Rio Tinto is struggling to overhaul its troubling workplace culture.Credit: Bloomberg

It seems the forces for reform have been hit by the forces of those for whom the status quo works.

Cultural crusaders have clashed with anti-woke campaigners in a war that will take years to play out.

The numbers speak volumes. Eight people reported having experienced actual or attempted sexual assault or rape, compared to five people in 2021. Thirty-two people reported pressure or requests for sex or sexual acts, down from 37 in 2021. Meanwhile, the number of those experiencing sexual harassment hasn’t changed, and the 39 per cent of respondents saying they had been bullied has risen from 31 per cent in 2021. The same number experienced racism over the same period.

So it’s jarring that Rio still counts this as progress – which it bases on the........

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