Doctored transcript of Linda Burney interview sent from Bill Shorten’s office

A doctored transcript of a tough TV interview with Labor MP Linda Burney was sent from the office of Bill Shorten | READ the Transcript

Labor MP Linda Burney says her office was solely responsible for a re-written transcript sent out to the media.

Ms Burney said the doctored transcript was “unintentional” and denied Bill Shorten’s office had any role.

“My comments on Sky News yesterday are public,” Ms Burney said in a statement.

“This was an error in my office and was unintentional – the staff member involved has been counselled about the mistake.

“No other office had any role, it was solely my office’s responsibility for transcribing the interview and checking its accuracy.”

Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton attacked Ms Burney for releasing the “fraudulent” transcript and demanded Bill Shorten explain what he knew about the doctored document.

Mr Dutton said Ms Burney’s doctored transcript — which was sent from the office of the Opposition Leader as per the usual practice — was a “deliberate act of fabrication”.

The transcript was from a difficult interview on asylum seeker policy yesterday with Sky News presenter David Speers over time limits on how long detainees stay on Manus Island or Nauru.

“A Labor staffer has issued a fraudulent document, Ms Burney has presided over a fraudulent document (that is) going out purporting to be something that it is not,” Mr Dutton said.

“This was not a mistake by somebody transcribing who can’t understand garbled words within a tape recording, this was a deliberate act of fabrication.

“Mr Shorten needs to explain who in his office knew about it, who in his office authorised this document to be released, why was this transcript sent out by one of Mr Shorten’s staffers? These are questions that Mr Shorten needs to answer today.”

Mr Dutton questioned how Mr Shorten could trust Ms Burney after the incident.

“How can he trust Linda Burney, how can the Australian people trust Linda Burney, when she has deliberately released a document knowing it to be false,” he said.

The Australian understands each Labor MP organises their own transcripts that are sent through to the Opposition Leader’s office for distribution. The Opposition Leader’s staffers do not check whether the transcripts are accurate.

The altered transcript substantially changed Ms Burney’s argument in favour of a time limit to get people off Manus and Nauru, and completely excluded criticisms of the government’s current policy.

A spokesman for Mr Shorten said the doctored transcript had nothing to do with the Opposition Leader’s office and occurred because of a mistake within Ms Burney’s office.

Ms Burney’s office claimed the doctoring was a “mistake”.

“It wasn’t intended to be doctored,” the spokesman said.

Here is the Sky News transcript

What the altered transcript said:

Speers: Labor will be discussing asylum seekers at its conference in a couple of months. What’s your own view?

Burney: It will be an issue at the National Conference. Indefinite detention is what we’re arguing against. Look at what has happened on Manus in the last 24 hours —

Speers: — So they shouldn’t be there indefinitely?

Burney: That’s being worked on by the appropriate people in my party. It’s not my portfolio ...

Speers: Well how long does Labor think those people should be stuck there?

Burney: That will become clear over the course of the next ...

Speers: But Labor will put a time frame on it?

Burney: I’m not responsible for the area, but I do believe that they shouldn’t be held indefinitely, and logically that means there’d be a time line.

How the real interview went:

Burney: Indefinite detention is what we are very much arguing against and that’s what’s happened, I mean look at what has happened on Manus in the last 24 hours: I think there has been a fire and I understand there has been an injury or a fatality and the minister Peter Dutton getting up every day and yelling and abusing us on asylum seekers is not helpful.

Speers: So they shouldn’t be there indefinitely?

Burney: That is what the Labor position is that there should not be indefinite detention.

Speers: How long should they be there?

Burney: Um, well there shouldn’t be indefinite detention.

Speers: Linda Burney this is the difficulty, you can’t say how long they should be there.

Burney: I know that is being worked on by the appropriate people in the party, it is not part of my portfolio.

Speers: It is a bit confusing at the moment isn’t it? How long does Labor think these people should be stuck there?

Burney: I think that those issues will become very clear over the course of the next ..

Speers: So Labor may put some sort of time frame on it?

Burney: I’m not responsible for the area.

Speers: But you feel passionately about it?

Burney: I do feel passionately about it.

Speers: Would you like to see some sort of time limit on how long they are there?

Burney: I think that we are saying, most clearly, that there shouldn’t be indefinite detention, that logically says there needs to be a time frame and I’m sure there are people who are working toward that.

Speers: You would support some sort of time limit?

Burney: I think there needs to be a time limit