Blokes, skimpies and a new gold rush: Diggers & Dealers back to roots as diversified mining giants keep clear

A humble pub’s efforts in Australia’s gold capital to boost trade has laid bare the unshakeable conundrum facing the nation’s most famous mining conference, where only one woman presented this year. Kalgoorlie is home to one of the world’s oldest working brothels, which sprouted up during a gold-rush in the 1890s. The town’s reputation as a sex worker mecca grew when scantily-clad barmaids started to become a year-round feature at local watering holes in the 1970s. But when the Federal Hotel at the edge of Kalgoorlie’s main drag reopened its doors in December after being shut for almost 10 years, there was a simple pledge that bucked the trend — no skimpies. The Hotel’s new husband and wife owners vowed to transform the venue’s reputation as a bikie haven on the wrong end of town into a wholesome, family-friendly establishment. Soon the allure of the Goldfields capital’s biggest event of the year became too much to resist amid increasingly fierce competition for the Kalgoorlie pubgoer’s dollar. “We have the cabaret licence, so we thought we’d have them (skimpies) just for Diggers & Dealers to see how it goes,” Ante Jerkovic told The West Australian. “We simply just want a slice of the pie. Diggers brings in a lot of money to Kalgoorlie.” Diggers, now is in its 34th year, has a laundry list of owners including Myles Ertzen and Sharon Giorgetta, gold mining executives Stuart Tonkin and Mark Clark, long-serving employees of the conference Suzanne Christie and Gavin Everett, and former WesTrac boss Jim Walker. Mr Walker, who has been Diggers’ chairman for five years, told The West Australian what happens in town come nightfall is “completely separate to Diggers”. “Federal Hotel — they’ve got to run a business. It’s their business,” he said. “How they run it is separate to Diggers & Dealers, and also they’re not breaking the law, so there’s no issue there. “And you know, as I said, it’s up to the individual. If they wish to go there, that’s up to them. If those that don’t wish to go, they don’t have to.” Despite the conference having no direct link to the nearby adult entertainment, the Federal Hotel bringing skimpies back shows how intertwined the scantily-clad barmaids are with the appeal of Diggers to many attendees. Diggers is so lucrative for employers of the barmaids that preparations start as early as January. Veteran booking agent Josie Fragomeni said a skimpy could make anywhere between $1000 and $5000 in tips during the busy period. “The girls are happy, they’re making bank,” she said. “This year Diggers is a bit slow . . . but there’s still a lot of delegates (coming through).” The reality that skimpies are here to stay is becoming increasingly difficult for image-sensitive mining majors to stomach. The bigger industry names have steadily retreated from Diggers over recent years. BHP and Fortescue both pulled up stumps after last year. South32 called it quits in 2022. And Rio Tinto hasn’t presented since the Juukan Gorge disaster five years ago. The West has spoken to representatives of the mining majors, who say the heightened reputational risk from the post-event adult entertainment increasingly outweighs the benefits of the conference. Mr Walker acknowledged it was disappointing that BHP, which closed its Goldfields-centric Nickel West operations this year, did not have a booth at the conference. But he is undeterred by the change, encouraged by “a huge waiting list” of smaller exploration companies wanting to step in. “This forum is actually set up for the juniors to be able to present here, give their story and look for people who want to invest or finance their operations. That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “We’ve had other major companies pull out for their own particular reasons, but it’s always been filled up by someone else.” The conference’s gender diversity has also taken a big hit with the exit of WA’s largest mining companies. Previous presenters like BHP’s Jess Farrell and and FMG’s Elizabeth Gaines had both been believers in the importance of increasing diversity in the mining industry. Rowena Smith, chief executive of rare earths explorer Australian Strategic Materials, was the only woman among 67 presenters at Diggers this year. Ms Smith was asked by The West if that fact disappointed her. “I think for it to disappoint me would imply that it was a surprise,” she said. “I’ve been in the mining industry for 30 years. In that time period representation for women has increased substantially at the big end of town, but for the juniors it’s slower. “I had nearly 30 years working for Rio, BHP and South32 and I was surrounded by vibrant, capable women. So, when I stepped out of it to join ASM and be in the junior end of town, I felt like I’d gone back 30 years because suddenly I was the only woman in the room again.” Questioned about how the diversity dilemma might play out for Diggers going forward, Mr Walker said it was up to the companies who bought the space to choose who they wanted on stage. “We have offered, and the offer is still there to anyone, if they want to have three presenters up there . . . it’s up to them. We’ve offered that to make sure we do get that diversity. “We’re happy to have anyone present who wants to present.” Diggers’ official attendance for 2025 was between 2300 and 2500, down on the 2700 it pulled in 2024. Based on a full delegate pass fetching about $2250, and booth prices of $9750, takings for the year can be roughly estimated at $6.9 million. Mr Walker said attendance figures were generally guided by accommodation constraints in the town. Diggers has long been dominated by gold explorers and miners, and with the precious metal’s price still humming the mood this year remained jovial. Can the conference dig in as a unique relic of the gold-rush that built Kalgoorlie, or will it be swept away in a new world demanding change? “I think what we’ve got now works,” Mr Walker said when asked about the conference’s plans for the future. “But by the same token, we’re always taking in information and taking in ideas.”