ABC must apologise for dodgy ghost train doco

The damage following the fire on the Ghost Train ride at Luna Park in Sydney in 1979.

The ABC has strongly defended its documentary into the tragic ghost train fire at Sydney’s Luna Park in 1979 that trashed Neville Wran’s reputation and implicated him in a cover-up and corruption.

But an external review has found those claims were unfounded. It is a humiliating blow for the ABC’s integrity and credibility. It comes after extensive reporting in this newspaper that revealed interviews for the documentary had been selectively edited, claims by some interview­ees could not be believed, documents had been misrepresented to mislead viewers and the program breached editorial policies.

The debunking of the accusations against Wran has been vindi­cated by an independent external editorial review by investiga­tive journalist Chris Masters and University of Sydney professor Rod Tiffen. They con­cluded the documentary’s claims about Wran were not substantiated.

The ABC showed contempt for this newspaper’s reporting and commentary, which included criticisms by former premiers Bob Carr and Barrie Unsworth, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Wran’s former staff, including former ABC chairman and managing director David Hill and former Sydney Morning Herald editor Milton Cockburn.

But the ABC stood by the documentary and praised the reporters, Caro Meldrum-Hanna and Patrick Begley.

The ABC communications team, led by Nick Leys and Sally Jackson, could not be more rude, unprofessional or condescending. Not only did they defend the bogus Wran allegations, they also poured scorn on anybody who dared question them.

It would be comical if it were not so serious. The ABC believes it is OK to rubbish somebody’s reputation with claims that are not backed up by testimony or evidence because they are only “allegations” and not “proven facts”.

It argues this is “public interest journalism”.

But this approach deceives the audience and is anything but trustworthy journalism.

The claims against Wran are among the most scandalous made against any premier. Wran was not a run-of-the-mill political leader. He led NSW Labor to four election victories in a row with an extraordinary high vote share and parliamentary majorities. He was phenomenally popular and presided over a reforming 10-year government.

Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire claimed there was a cover-up that “went right to the top”. Wran was the unassailable premier at the time and was portrayed in the documentary as the drinking buddy of Sydney underworld figure Abe Saffron. The evidence? Saffron’s moll, Rosemary Opitz. Nobody has backed it up.

The documentary also claimed Wran orchestrated for the Luna Park lease to go to a Saffron front company.

Paul Egge, a former policeman, said illegal police wiretaps – the “Age tapes” – revealed Wran conspired with High Court judge Lionel Murphy to ensure the lease effectively went to Saffron.

But, again, this claim was not backed up with evidence. Egge did not hear the tapes. He read a transcript. But no transcript or tape exists. And no other policeman supported Egge’s claim about Wran. Moreover, a royal commission and a parliamentary commission said Egge’s allegation could not be substantiated.

The claim that the Luna Park lease went to a Saffron-linked company was the subject of a defamation claim against Fairfax and was dismissed. It was also examined by the NSW Corporate Affairs Commission, which found there was no “actual or beneficial” relationship between Saffron and Harbourside, the company that eventually was awarded the lease.

The documentary claims the fire was lit by a gang of bikies, using kerosene, ordered by Saffron. The ABC did not produce one witness who saw the fire being lit. Tony Jacob, the ride attendant, told me he did not see any bikies or smell kerosene. The ABC ignored this. The fire was likely an accident, caused by a cigarette or match, as the coroner said.

Other interviewees told me their words were selectively edited to argue a predetermined point of view. Government architect Andrew Andersons was on the tender selection committee. He said Wran did not interfere and neither was he corrupt. This was also ignored by the ABC.

The documentary did disclose, as the review notes, police incompetence and corruption. But none of this is new. It is terribly sad that this documentary about the ghost train fire, which claimed the lives of six children and one father, has amplified the grief of their friends and families and its conclusions are so terribly flawed.

It is understandable that the ABC board, led by Ita Buttrose, was concerned about the documentary, which cost almost $2m to make. The criticisms, especially from Cockburn and Hill, have been savage. They could not go unanswered. The board initiated the review. It was not initiated by managing director David Anderson, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.

It came after Anderson and editorial director Craig McMurtrie gave evidence at Senate estimates. They said it did not matter if the allegations about Wran were “right or wrong” or if they were “proven facts”.

Moreover, they argued the documentary did not breach editorial policies.

The ABC continues to play games. The review was given to the ABC weeks ago and the board considered it last Wednesday. The Australian asked for the review last week and again yesterday but was denied. Instead, a statement summarising the review was given to the Herald and Guardian Australia with a favourable spin on it. It was finally released after 5pm on Monday.

This review is a damning indictment of the ABC’s Wran allegations. They have a lot of explaining to do. They should issue an apology to Wran’s widow and children. They should issue a statement acknowledging the serious errors in the documentary and apologise to viewers. And the documentary should be withdrawn from all online platforms.

This would be journalism that really is in the public interest.