International Women’s Day 2024
At BUMA Australia, our people are our advantage. We are determined to invest in individual development, and to provide positive leadership. This Tuesday, 8 March, marks International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

We would like to thank all the women across our business for their contribution to the success of BUMA Australia. Today we are celebrating IWD through highlighting the contributions of a range of women in different roles across BUMA Australia.
Name: Rebecca Long
Title: Mechanical Engineer
Site: Meandu
Can you tell us a bit about your role at BUMA Australia? I support our maintenance team who look after mobile mining equipment – haul trucks, excavators, dragline, dozers, graders etc. I’m responsible for reliability, continuous improvement projects, and assist with planning and project costs.
What’s the best part of your job? Getting my hands dirty and getting involved with our equipment.
How long have you been at BUMA Australia? 6 years.
When you’re not at work, what do you like to do to relax? I love camping, bushwalking and archery.
How are you committing to “breaking the bias” this International Women’s Day? Breaking the bias is a big task, everyone committing to small changes can have a much bigger impact than a few people trying to do it all alone. I’ve been lucky to meet people – both men and women – who have supported me over the years which has helped me to grow and set an example for other women coming into this industry. Nowadays I try to create connections with other people and an environment that’s inclusive, where people are respected for their skills and experience rather than gender, race, background, etc. That supportive environment and knowing that there are other people who have your back can give people the courage to persevere and excel in their field.
Name: Julie Kil
Title: Environmental Specialist – Technician
Site: Meandu
Can you tell us a bit about your role at BUMA Australia? In my role at BUMA I am responsible for both the monitoring of the surface water sites and maintaining the equipment and telemetry systems we use for the monitoring. My skillset is somewhat unique in that I am an electrician by trade, and later went on to complete a degree in Environmental Management. While initially it might not appear that these two areas would combine into a single role, in this instance they have.
What’s the best part of your job? Being able to see parts of the mine others don’t get the opportunity to see, I love seeing the birds on the dams, especially the Black Swans and watching the cygnets grow to adult swans over the months.
How long have you been at BUMA Australia? 11 Months.
When you’re not at work, what do you like to do to relax? Spending time with my husband and children, working on my house and garden, watching Rugby (Union).
How are you committing to “breaking the bias” this International Women’s Day? My whole working life I have worked hard at not being defined by my gender, I have always approached my roles with the attitude of being part of the team and working to the best of my ability. I have never considered myself a female Electrician or a female Enviro, I am an Electrician and an Enviro. I don’t want or expect to be treated differently just because I happen to be female.
Name: Lisa Campbell
Title: Production Operator
Site: Blackwater Mine
Can you tell us a bit about your role at BUMA Australia? I am a production operator that operates rear dump trucks and watercarts. I have also just accepted the role of trainer assessor, which is both very exciting and scary. But I’m keen for the challenge and very excited to teach new to industry people how to safely operate the rear dump trucks.
What’s the best part of your job? I love the challenge of working in a different situation each day and getting the job done safely to achieve targets. I also get to work with some really great people who have excellent knowledge of the industry and work well together. And love how they accept and respect that women can do the hard work as well.
How long have you been at BUMA Australia? 5 years this year.
When you’re not at work, what do you like to do to relax? I like to go away and spend time with family, camping, fishing and travelling and I also like to spend time at home doing gardening and crafts.
How are you committing to “breaking the bias” this International Women’s Day? I believe that we should all be treated equally and not judged on who we are or what we look like, but judged on our work ethic and commitment to doing our jobs safely. As not only a woman but also as an Indigenous woman I believe that I do and I can help other women in breaking the stereotypical barriers that women find in the mining industry. I strive to achieve this on a daily basis and the proof is in being rewarded for my hard work by being considered to gain new skills.
Name: Freya Perrins
Title: HSE&T Superintendent
Site: Blackwater
Can you tell us a bit about your role at BUMA Australia? I manage a team of health, safety and training professionals to assist our execution teams and client in delivering safe, productive and innovative results.
What’s the best part of your job? I love working in the team environment and with people from different backgrounds. HSE&T can be challenging and at times reactive. My teams’ goal is to be on the front foot, so our operation runs as safely and smoothly as possible.
How long have you been at BUMA Australia? 11 years.
When you’re not at work, what do you like to do to relax? My family is my first priority – spending quality time with my husband and my beautiful and cheeky daughter Sybbie. We love to spend time at the beach or sailing the Whitsundays with my extended family. My second option is exploring wineries around Australia with good friends.
How are you committing to “breaking the bias” this International Women’s Day? Being a full-time working mother in a rural community is difficult but I am thankful to have the full support of BUMA Australia to achieve this. I believe that working mothers have great potential for organizations like ours and as a site leader I aim to demonstrate this. With our current flexible working conditions available, I would love to see more working mothers in our field.