Whadjuk: Sacked for exposing ‘improper practices’

A former chief executive of the imploding Aboriginal corporation claims he was sacked after repeatedly warning that it was not appropriate for its Aboriginal directors to be actively involved in the corporation’s commercial arm.

Former Whadjuk chief executive Noel Morich.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

A former chief executive of the imploding Aboriginal corporation created to deliver the benefits of Australia’s biggest native title settlement claims he was sacked after repeatedly warning that it was not appropriate for its Aboriginal directors to be actively involved in the corporation’s commercial business arm.

After Noel Morich was forced out of his job as chief executive of Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation last October, the board laid off staff responsible for the corporation’s burgeoning Aboriginal heritage consultancy work and gave that work to a private company majority owned by Noongar man Joe Collard. Mr Collard is a former member of the corporation’s cultural advice committee.

Noongar people across Perth are calling for answers about what happened to the corporation that was supposed to be community-controlled for their benefit. The trustee of the $1.3bn Noongar south west deal this week wrote a second letter to Whadjuk urging its three remaining directors to agree to a special administrator from the Office of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations.

Perpetual Limited was compelled to act after the resignation of expert director Aswin Kumar on March 28, triggering a default notice that ultimately requires elections for a new board.

Perpetual says because Whadjuk has only three directors and requires four, it has suspended Whadjuk from receiving grants from the centrepiece of the Noongar settlement, the $600m Noongar Boodja Trust.

The Noongar community was on Wednesday appalled by allegations about the treatment of their corporation’s most recent CEO, Lisa Dobrin, who says she was subjected to intimidation and shouting from Aboriginal directors including Geri Hayden, who allegedly shouted at her “I am sick of you white people … shut up”.

A letter from Metaxas Legal, representing Ms Dobrin, alleged Whadjuk staff witnessed a scene in February during which chairman Reg Yarran was pushed out of an open plan area as he shouted across the room at Ms Dobrin: “You’re on notice woman! You’re on notice woman!”

The Australian can now reveal that the Aboriginal man from whom Ms Dobrin briefly took over has also alleged in legal documents that Mr Yarran verbally abused him and a member of Whadjuk staff. Mr Morich, who has a business degree, came to Whadjuk after decades in government and private enterprise. He worked for the pioneering welfare reform initiative on Cape York called the Family Responsibilities Commission.

However, he fell out with Aboriginal directors on the Whadjuk board almost immediately after his appointment in April last year, The Australian was told.

Documents filed by Mr Morich with Fair Work allege that at one point he went to the Perth Magistrates Court to seek misconduct retraining orders against four Aboriginal people associated with Whadjuk, including Ms Hayden, a director, and Mr Collard, then a member of the cultural advice committee.

Mr Morich’s claim to Fair Work Australia says he alerted Whadjuk directors from June 2024 until around August 2024, including orally in board meetings, through board presentations and briefings and by email “that it was inappropriate for directors to be actively involved in ­commercial activities undertaken by the respondent due to the ­potential for conflicts of interest”.

The Australian has been told that after Mr Morich’s departure, Whadjuk appointed Mr Collard’s company South West Aboriginal Land Services to take on the corporation’s Aboriginal heritage work for a percentage of the ­profits. Aboriginal heritage work is required on many projects across Perth under West Australian law. As the recognised representative body for Perth’s traditional owners, Whadjuk’s client list had been growing. The corporation did 90 Aboriginal heritage jobs in 2024, according to its annual report.

Whadjuk staff who had been doing this work on government and private sector projects across Perth learned at a meeting on March 26 that their positions were redundant, The Australian has been told.

The company of which Mr Collard owns 51 per cent – South West Aboriginal Land Services – got the gig in what Mr Yarran has called an internal appointment.

The Australian has learned the company has approached other Aboriginal corporations of the Noongar settlement offering to take on their heritage work.