Australia's mighty #MeToo wave is piling pressure on mining and political leaders, who are preparing to face a reckoning over sexual harassment scandals stretching from the arid Outback to Parliament House.

Over the past 18 months, thousands of women have exposed a culture of bullying and abuse in mining, the country's economic engine, as well as other workplaces, provoking public outrage and pledges of decisive action from politicians and executives.

Matters are now coming to a head.