Woodside is proactively working to identify, minimise and manage potential risks and impacts arising from COVID-19 on our people, our business and the communities in which we operate.

Woodside CEO Peter Coleman said the health and safety of our people, the integrity of operations and our ability to deliver gas to customers are our highest priorities.

“To comply with expert health and Government guidance we are reducing the number of people at our facilities and working with our contractors, suppliers and communities to minimise the impact of the pandemic.

“This is not business as usual. We all need to be more agile, think differently and take the appropriate steps to get through this together.

“We acknowledge the broader social and economic impacts from the current COVID-19 situation. We are working closely with our contractors and suppliers on measures to mitigate impacts on their businesses and their employees,” he said.

These measures include:

Community

• Woodside will establish a AUD $3 million COVID-19 Community Fund to support local organisations in our operational home town of Karratha.
• Our Community Fund will be supplemented by a dollar-matching employee donation initiative.
• Woodside is committed to working with government, industry bodies and other resource companies to develop a coordinated approach to supporting immediate, mid and long-term response efforts.

Suppliers

• Woodside will take steps to expedite payments of all outstanding invoices for small, local and Indigenous businesses, defined as a business generating less than AUD $10 million in annual revenue.
• We will reduce payment terms for new invoices received from small Australian businesses, expediting payment from 30 days, targeting 14 days.
• Where possible, we will also expedite pending invoices for other work completed.

Contractors

• Woodside will work with our contractors to consider measures to support them to maintain the ongoing employment of as many of their employees as practicable.
• We are considering a range of mitigations, which may include alterations to rosters and support for casual contractor personnel who may not otherwise be entitled to sick leave or payment from their contractor employer if affected by COVID-19.
• We will work with peak bodies and other industries to support redeployment initiatives where practicable. This includes identifying key contractor skill groups that can take up opportunities in industries experiencing labour shortages as a result of migration disruption.

Woodside have restricted international and domestic business travel and implemented facility access restrictions.
Strict control and social distancing guidelines, enhanced hygiene practices and medical screenings and work from home arrangements have also been implemented at all our offices and operational sites. Woodside will work to re-establish normal operating practices as soon as practicable.

Link to Woodside Australia country profile