Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, upon notice, on 15 June 2011:

With reference to a recent Four Corners program on Australia's live cattle trade with Indonesia, on what dates did Four Corners:

(a) take film footage of Indonesian abattoirs; and

(b) view and come into possession of film footage taken by animal activists

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

Four Corners first met with RSPCA and Animals Australia (AA) on 31 March 2011. At this meeting where members of the program team saw an excerpt of the footage AA had filmed in Indonesia. The program began conducting its own investigation from that point including submitting requests for journalist visas for Indonesia. The program received an early draft of the RSPCA's scientific analysis of the AA's footage and the many hours of unedited footage from AA in early April 2011; the footage required lengthy viewing and logging.

Four Corners began filming in the Top End with various cattle producers and industry representatives. Indonesian visas were approved on 28 April 2011 and the crew left for Indonesia the following day. The program filmed at abattoirs over the next 9 days. The crew then returned to Sydney to view material shot, write and edit the program as well as carry out further interviews until broadcast on Monday 30 May 2011.