Western Australian Liberal Senators are calling for an inquiry into the ABC’s coverage of a climate protest outside the house of Woodside chief executive Meg O’Neill. The broadcaster’s Four Corners program has come under huge scrutiny after its film crew turned up outside O’Neill’s home at 6.45am last week to film a home invasion.
The ABC claimed they had received a news tip but had no idea where they were going or what they would be filming when they arrived at O’Neill’s home. They also claimed they had not colluded with climate protestors and that they had remained on public property throughout the protest.
But a photograph emerged on Sunday of ABC staff standing on O’Neill’s driveway as they filmed protesters attempting to enter her Perth home.
The ABC sent a letter of regret to Ms O’Neill, but not an apology. Western Australian Liberal Senators, led by Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Michaelia Cash, Linda Reynolds, and Dean Smith, are now demanding a Senate Inquiry into the ABC’s conduct. They said an inquiry would examine “the ABC’s actions in attending the protest,” any “engagement between the ABC and the protestors prior to the incident,” as well as any “collusion between the ABC and the protestors.”
The inquiry, if established by the Senate, would also probe the “explanations provided by the ABC for its attendance at the incident and the extent to which those explanations are accurate.”
Western Australia Labor Premier Roger Cook has already denounced the incident and slammed the ABC’s conduct as “completely unacceptable.” He said the film crew’s actions “should be condemned by everyone, including the ABC.”
In a Perth court, two of the protesters have appeared and been charged with conspiring to commit an indictable offense.
Western Australian Liberal Senators, including Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Michaelia Cash, Linda Reynolds, and Dean Smith, are demanding a Senate Inquiry into the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) coverage of a climate protest outside the home of Woodside chief executive Meg O’Neill. The Four Corners program, belonging to the ABC, has been heavily criticized after its film crew arrived at O’Neill’s home at 6.45 am last week to document what they referred to as a home invasion.
The ABC has claimed that they received a news tip but were unaware of the location and nature of the footage they would be capturing at O’Neill’s residence. Furthermore, they asserted that they did not cooperate with the climate protestors and remained on public property throughout the demonstration. However, a photograph emerged on Sunday showing ABC staff standing on O’Neill’s driveway, filming the protestors’ attempts to enter her Perth home.
While the ABC sent a letter expressing regret to O’Neill, they did not issue an apology. In response, Western Australian Liberal Senators, led by Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Michaelia Cash, Linda Reynolds, and Dean Smith, are now demanding a Senate Inquiry to investigate the ABC’s conduct. The inquiry would delve into the actions of the ABC during the protest, any interactions between the ABC and the protestors prior to the incident, and the possibility of collusion between the two parties.
If established by the Senate, the inquiry would also scrutinize the accuracy of the explanations provided by the ABC regarding their presence at the incident. Western Australia Labor Premier Roger Cook has already denounced the ABC’s actions as “completely unacceptable.” He condemned the behavior of the film crew, stating that it should be condemned by everyone, including the ABC.
In relation to the protest, two of the demonstrators have appeared in court in Perth, where they have been charged with conspiring to commit an indictable offense.
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