Scott Morrison hits out at Four Corners ahead of QAnon report

Scott Morrison has accused the ABC’s Four Corners program of a “politically motivated slur” over a highly-anticipated QAnon report tonight.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accused the ABC’s Four Corners program of a “politically motivated slur” over a report tonight that reveals the sister of a family friend of the Morrisons was so concerned about her brother’s links to a bizarre conspiracy theory QAnon that she notified the national security hotline several times.

The Prime Minister has slammed suggestions he has any links to the “dangerous” QAnon conspiracy cult that believes a cabal of Satan-worshipping paedophiles tried to undermine Donald Trump.

Mr Morrison and his wife, Jenny, have been family friends with the man’s wife for decades and previously employed her at Kirribilli in a taxpayer-funded job.

But the ABC’s Four Corners program will delve into the relationship between the Prime Minister, Mrs Morrison and the man, named as Tim Stewart, tonight in a highly anticipated episode after the program was delayed by the ABC managing director David Anderson earlier this month.

Last year, Mr Stewart’s QAnon inspired Twitter account, BurnedSpy34, was permanently suspended for “engaging in co-ordinated harmful activity”.

RELATED: Pressure building on PM over ‘cruel’ issue

Tim Stewart has previously said it was completely wrong to suggest he was influencing the Prime Minister with his beliefs. Picture: Supplied

Scott Morrison, Jenny Morrison and Lynelle Stewart (middle). Picture: Supplied

Ahead of the program, the Prime Minister has released the statement he provided to Four Corners on the episode.

“This is a politically motivated slur against the Prime Minister and his family by a Four Corners program that is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism, that is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the Prime Minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group,” a spokesman said.

At a press conference in Canberra last week, the Prime Minister criticised the ABC for pursuing the story and said he wanted to make it clear he had no links with the cult whatsoever.

“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,” Mr Morrison said.

“I clearly do not.”

Here we go, folks. Next on #4Corners ‘The Great Awakening: A Family Divided by QAnon’. Here’s a preview pic.twitter.com/m3j7qb1d2k

— Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) June 11, 2021

The ABC reports tonight that Mr Stewart has a blog, Sideways Step, that examines theories that paedophiles are drinking children’s blood.

“The true nature of these crimes shows that humans are being treated as a commodity and human energy is being harvested without permission,” Mr Stewart writes.

“Why do evil people wish to rob a young child of their virginity? … Why do they drink blood? Why do they need to sacrifice humans?”

But Mr Stewart told Four Corners any suggestion he supported violence for example the US Capitol riots were “nonsense”.

“I am too busy to read questions relating to the nonsense that’s been put out there, which are just hit pieces,” he said.

He has previously told The Guardian newspaper that it was completely wrong to suggest he was influencing the Prime Minister.

“I have never spoken to Scott about anything of a political nature. I’m not an adviser. The idea of me talking to him about this … it’s just not true,” he said.

RELATED: PM’s nephew threatened with arrest

Mr Morrison has accused Four Corners of carrying out “a politically motivated slur” with the episode. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Mr Stewart’s estranged sister Karen Stewart, who is a former candidate for the Greens, has been open about her concerns regarding her brothers’ views on social media for years.

“Tim believes that the world has really been taken over by satanic paedophiles, or Luciferian paedophiles,” she told Four Corners.

She told Four Corners that she ultimately felt it was her “civic duty to make that phone call” to the national security hotline.

“We decided we can make excuses for lots of things but if we’re under threat and our safety is a concern, we have to legitimately inform somebody,” Karen says.

“So, we did make a report to the authorities to ensure that we were doing the right thing as community members.”

RELATED: PM’s values that are sadly missing

The ABC’s managing director, David Anderson, rejected reports that he “pulled” the program. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The ABC’s managing director, David Anderson has previously rejected reports that he “pulled” the program, prepared by multi-Walkley Award-winning journalist Louise Milligan.

It follows Ms Milligan’s high profile defamation battle with former Attorney-General Christian Porter that he has now discontinued and will not pursue further.

“Any suggestion that I ‘pulled’ or ‘blocked’ the program is simply not true,” Mr Anderson told staff.

The ABC news director, Gaven Morris is understood to have “upwardly referred” the episode to the managing director ahead of his appearance at Senate estimates.

It also emerged that the ABC’s political editor, Andrew Probyn, was asked to put a series of questions to Morrison at a press conference by Four Corners but declined to do so.

His refusal to assist his Four Corners colleagues and details of the conversations between the ABC’s Canberra bureau and Four Corners was then leaked to newspapers.

Probyn declined to comment on the claims.

As a result of the ABC Canberra bureau’s refusal to co-operate with Four Corners, another ABC reporter travelled to Canberra at taxpayers’ expense to ask the questions but was unable to ask the question because the Prime Minister did not hold a press conference.

News.com.au has contacted both Mr Stewart and his wife Lynelle for comment.