New evidence emerges of ABC film crew on Woodside CEO’s driveway during climate protests

The ABC’s claim a Four Corners’ film crew remained on public land when it turned up at a climate protest outside Woodside boss Meg O’Neill’s home is in question amid new evidence.

An ABC film crew pictured on the property of Woodside boss Meg O'Neill. Courtesy of Sky News Australia

The ABC’s claim a Four Corners’ film crew remained on public land when it turned up at a climate protest outside Woodside boss Meg O’Neill’s home is now in dispute after new evidence emerged.

A photograph of an ABC crew on the driveway of Ms O’Neill’s Perth home – obtained by Sky News Australia and revealed on Sunday – has led to serious doubts that its journalists and camera crew were on public land when they arrived at her home at dawn on Tuesday morning.

This has now led to the public broadcaster conducting an investigation into the matter.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos DECEMBER 1, 2022: Woodside Energy CEO Meg O'Neill at Crown in Sydney on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

A group of climate activists from Disrupt Burrup Hub were at Ms O’Neill’s City Beach property when the crew from the ABC’s flagship investigative program Four Corners arrived.

This caused outrage including from WA premier Roger Cook who said the activists’ conduct was “completely unacceptable and should be condemned by everyone, including the ABC”.

The ABC communications department has subsequently amended a statement it published on its website last week that stated, “just prior to the action the team received a tip to go to an address, they had no knowledge what was at the address or that it was someone’s house”.

“The ABC team remained on public land observing what was happening and getting some vision, as journalists do.

“They at no time went on to private property or had any involvement in what was happening.”

This has since changed since new evidence emerged putting these claims in serious doubt.

At the bottom of its original statement a footnote was added on Friday to state: “In response to concerns that have been raised, the ABC is conducting a detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding this matter”.

Ms O’Neill sent a letter of complaint to ABC managing director David Anderson on Friday, while Woodside chair Richard Goyder sent a separate letter of complaint to Ms Buttrose.

A Woodside spokeswoman said the company has also lodged a formal complaint with the ABC through its online complaints process.

There have been no responses to any of the complaints from the ABC yet.

Mr Anderson has since sent a letter of regret to Ms O’Neill but did not apologise.

Ms O’Neill said last week she had been left shaken after the climate activists turned up to her family home and their conduct was unacceptable.

“It does not matter if you are a member of the business community, a professional athlete or even a kid going about your business, everyone has a right to feel safe in their own home,” she said on Friday.

“What happened in my home on Tuesday is an unacceptable escalation in activity by an extremist group which has absolutely no interest in engaging in respectful and constructive debate around Woodside’s role in the transition to a lower carbon world.”

Mr Cook wrote to ABC chair Ita Buttrose on Friday condemning the action of the ABC.

“I have been in public life long enough to understand the vital role the news media plays in a healthy democracy and the right of journalists to report the news without fear or favour,” he said in the letter.

“However, the fact that an ABC TV crew attended the private home of a WA citizen to document the committing of alleged criminal acts is cause for great concern and morally wrong.”

The Disrupt Burrup Hub are fighting against the expansion of energy projects on the Burrup Peninsula in WA’s Pilbara region.

Four protesters were arrested by WA police outside Ms O’Neill's home last week.

The ABC has maintained that there was no collusion between the Four Corners’ crew and the activists despite them being at Ms O’Neill’s property at the same time last week.

The Australian also revealed last week Woodside Energy demanded the ABC explain why Four Corners was attending an event in July organised by Disrupt Burrup Hub after the group boasted on social media that a TV crew from the flagship investigative show would be filming for a “report on climate activism in Australia”.

Shortly after the ABC was made aware of the July post, the activist group removed any mention of the public broadcaster and changed it to state, “this meeting will be filmed by media reporting on climate activism in Australia”.

Communications minister Michelle Rowland has also sought additional information in relation to the incident outside the Woodside CEO’s home but had no updates on the matter on Sunday.

Opposition communications spokesman David Coleman urged the minister to “provide clear and transparent answers to the Australian public on this whole affair”.

“The Minister should release documents her office holds on this matter today – and come out and state whether she supports the actions of the ABC,” he said.

The ABC said the matter was being investigated for a story that is yet to be broadcast.