KARRATHA MAN SAYS HE WAS ‘BLACKLISTED’ WITHOUT KNOWING BY WOODSIDE SUB-CONTRACTOR
BY TANGIORA HINAKI
A Karratha man believes he was blacklisted from working for Monadelphous, a construction engineering company and Woodside sub-contractor, after an incident that occurred two years ago in Millars Well.
The local man, who wishes to remain anonymous, is the carer of his brother's children who he calls his own due to Aboriginal custom.
Two years ago, the children aged 5 and 10 were walking back home from the local park when they were chased by two men.
Their grandmother, Sandra Black said they came home crying and scared.
“My granddaughter said that there were two white men chasing them, one with a bat and one with a dog,” she said.
The two men knocked on the door and asked to see the children.
“Those two gutless wonders demanded I hand over my 10-year-old grandson and my 5-year-old granddaughter.
“They reckon my grandchildren were jumping the fence and stealing things, and I said, ‘How can a 5-year-old jump a fence?’”
The man confronted the alleged perpetrators the next day but went to the wrong house.
The police spoke with the man and he told the police to give his apologies to the family.
Since this incident, the man wondered why his shutdown work had dried up. He found out in 2023 after his traineeship fell through with Monodelphous.
He said a Monodelphous Indigenous mentor asked him the question, “What happened two years ago?”
The man believes Monodelphous blacklisted him after hearing about the incident second-hand from an observer who worked for Woodside.
“With big companies like that, you'd think that they would actually get your side of the story,” he said.
“Woodside and Monodelphous like to harp on about being fair, not discriminating against people, and listening to everyone’s side of the story.
“I was shut out because someone did something and there was a reaction to it and I lost work because of it.
“I was blacklisted from doing shutdowns. I did work for other companies, but them shutdowns is what I relied on, especially during that coronavirus time. I had no money, it was hard to make ends meet.
“Now, hearing about why I was knocked back gutted me. What happened to being treated fairly? Why is his word better than mine? Because he's a Woodsider and Monos is the subcontractor to them, or is it a racial thing?”
In a statement, Woodside explained that it was not involved in the recruitment process and that the company does not comment on current or prospective employee matters.
Monadelphous said they have not blacklisted the man and that they would call the person involved to get his side of the story.
“We welcome [the man’s] application for any role we have on offer,” a spokesperson said.
“All applications will be assessed fairly, alongside other candidates.
“At Monadelphous, it is important to us that all our employees are treated fairly. We will be in touch with [the man] directly to discuss his concerns.”
The man has confirmed that he has had a conversation with Monadelphous.