Thursday, May 12, 2005
ABC UNCENSORED
Here’s the section of transcript removed by the ABC from yesterday’s AM broadcast:
EASTLEY: This woman has been lost for four years. Your officials dropped her off, by all accounts, dropped her off – the car was still moving perhaps – and no records have been kept as to where she was left in the Philippines, Minister.
SENATOR VANSTONE: With respect, with respect …
EASTLEY: It’s quite an extraordinary case.
SENATOR VANSTONE: … to what you’re just – what you’ve just said is extraordinary. It is extraordinary. You said she was dropped off by all accounts. On your own admission it’s by the account of one person who realised two days ago who she was and has [indistinct] …
EASTLEY: So you’re happy with the way this case has been handled, is that what you’re saying?
SENATOR VANSTONE: … conversations. No, I haven’t, I haven’t said that. I think it’s extraordinary that the ABC would make a suggestion that someone was dropped off when a car was moving. It is indicative of an attitude, but I’ll refrain from saying any more than that. The record does show what happened. The record shows she was returned to the Philippines and was met at the airport by the Overseas Women’s Welfare Association. That’s what the record shows.
EASTLEY: And from there, no record kept of where she went?
SENATOR VANSTONE: I don’t have advice that there is a subsequent record from that. But of course at the time, when people were of the view that she was a citizen of the Philippines, there would not be a further record kept.
EASTLEY: All right, we’ll leave it there. Senator Amanda Vanstone, the Immigration Minister.
SENATOR VANSTONE: Well I’d like to say thank you, but the suggestion from the ABC that the Australian Government would drop someone out of a moving car leaves me speechless.
EASTLEY: It was a comment said in jest, which was probably not appropriate.
SENATOR VANSTONE: Jest? On a matter like this? Help me please. I don’t think this is funny.
EASTLEY: Well it’s unbelievable, the entire story anyway as it goes.
SENATOR VANSTONE: It is a very difficult story. It is a very, very difficult situation.
It sure is – for Eastley, who had this to say at the end of the program:
EASTLEY: And before we go just a clarification on a comment made during the interview with Senator Amanda Vanstone: It’s of course no indication that Ms Alvarez was mistreated by Immigration Department officials when she was dropped off in the Philippines. I didn’t mean it in any other way.
How did he mean it? Meanwhile, The Age confirms it was indeed the ABC that censored its own interview:
ABC acting head of national programs Greg Wilesmith swiftly removed the interview’s controversial parts from the transcript and audio links on AM’s website.
“In the course of the interview and in the course of a question, Tony had made an error,” he told The Age yesterday.
“It seemed to us best to remove the error rather than allow the inaccuracy to stand.”
What inaccuracy? Tony said he was joking. Anyway, as both Tim Dunlop and Daily Flute have urged, let’s see what Media Watch has to say about this on Monday.
(transcript via the Dept. of Immigration)