ABC and Nauru clash over exposé of offshore detention

NAURU – The ABC has defended a Four Corners documentary report on the conditions faced by children living on Nauru under Australia’s immigration policy, after the Nauruan Government said the programme was “racist” and “biased political propaganda and lies”.

The Four Corners episode, which aired in Australia this week, detailed the experiences of some of the 755 people – including 128 children – who have been granted refugee status and are now living in the Nauru community alongside the 10,000 locals.

A statement released by the Nauruan government said the report was an example of “ABC’s biased political propaganda and lies, and was an insult to the people of Nauru”.

“It was clear that these children were coached, and that the entire process of filming the refugees was stage-managed, as the programme has not been to Nauru,” the statement said.

“Viewers could clearly see that the refugees featured were well dressed, well-groomed and healthy.

“No child is in detention on Nauru, and children live with their families in safe and comfortable accommodation, mostly in new housing close to shops, facilities and beaches.”

The statement said the Four Corners report featured incorrect images of schools on the island “in a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the facts” and referred to a hospital that is no longer being used.

“This report was an embarrassment to journalism. From start to finish it was denigrating, racist, false and pure political activism,” the statement said.

The Nauruan Government also criticised the programme for failing to offer them the chance to respond to allegations aired in the report and relying on “discredited organisation” Save the Children to make “wild and unsubstantiated claims”.

An ABC spokeswoman defended the programme, saying it was “an important story, of obvious public interest”.

“The interviews with the children were conducted remotely by Four Corners, and their stories were subjected to the programme’s usual rigorous fact-checking processes,” she said.

“The programme was made in this way because the Nauruan government routinely refuses journalists access to report on offshore processing, and charges prohibitive fees for media visas which are not refunded if the applications are refused.”

Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused Four Corners of rejecting Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s offer to comment on the programme’s claims.

Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour said Dutton was given the opportunity to respond.

Liberal senator Jane Hume used Senate estimates to grill ABC executives about the episode and questioned whether it would be the subject of an internal review.

The ABC’s head of editorial policy, Alan Sunderland, stood by the programme and said the ABC does not “launch inquiries into excellent pieces of journalism”.

“The programme was accurate, it was well researched, it was well produced and it told a very compelling story,” he told the hearing.

“So I believe they did their job and they did it well.”

Under questioning, Sunderland confirmed that no ABC journalist travelled to Nauru for the story and the footage was filmed by a third party, at the programme’s request.

Senator Hume said she believed the programme portrayed a particular view of the offshore detention regime and suggested the ABC was, at times, too reliant on “activist organisations” for its content.

Sunderland rejected the suggestion, saying the ABC must apply its editorial standards before broadcasting any footage supplied.

Turnbull has also strongly denied claims by Amnesty International that the treatment of asylum seeker children on Nauru amounts to torture.

The Amnesty report Island of Despair, which was also released on Monday night, found Australia’s policy of holding refugees on Nauru indefinitely amounts to a systematic violation of human rights and possibly constitutes torture.

Turnbull said the accusation was “absolutely false”.

“The Australian Government’s commitment is compassionate and strong,” he said.

“We provide significant support to Nauru for welfare and health services and that includes a medical clinic, upgrades at the hospital, of the Nauru Hospital, a new surgical facility, new school buildings, education, curriculum development.”

- ABC