
BHP is taking Michael West to court! — feat. Michael West
From A Rational Fear by Dan Ilic
May 20, 2026 · 27 min · Season 2026 · Episode 251
About this episode
This episode features an interview with journalist Michael West discussing his legal battle with BHP over wage theft allegations.
🤑 CHIP IN TO OUR PATREON https://www.patreon.com/ARationalFear 📨 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAIL LIST: http://www.arationalfear.com/ This week Dan and Lewis Hobba are joined by independent journalist Michael West of Michael West Media — who's being sued by BHP, Australia's biggest company, over his reporting on coal miner Simon Turner's decade-long fight for compensation. Turner broke his back at BHP's Mount Arthur mine in 2015, was misclassified as a "clerical worker," and paid $400 a week for a job whose award rate is $137,000 a year. Sitting behind the lawsuit is a potentially $10 billion labour hire wage theft scandal involving Chandler Macleod and Coal LSL — and the awkward fact that BHP, a $300 billion company, is also the major sponsor of the Walkley Awards while using Minter Ellison to muzzle a four-person independent newsroom. 🤑 CHIP IN TO OUR PATREON https://www.patreon.com/ARationalFear Here's all the fun stuff you get when you sign up to Patreon. 🎧 Get an ad-free and sponsor free version of the show. 🎟 Get early access and discounts to live shows. 🎥 Get early access to final videos, and draft edits of upcoming videos. 👨🏼⚖️ Make show suggestions. 💬 Get a link to the A…
People in this episode
Host: Dan Ilic
Guest: Michael West
Topics covered
- legal issues
- journalism
- corporate accountability
- wage theft
- coal mining
- Australia
Keywords
- BHP
- Michael West
- wage theft
- journalism
- coal mining
- Australia
- legal battle
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BHP, Michael West Media, Chandler Macleod, Coal LSL, Minter Ellison, Walkley Awards
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