ABC Ghost Train series misleading in linking Wran and Saffron

An independent review of the ABC’s three-part documentary on the 1979 Luna Park ghost train fire found the series relied on interviews and a “misleading” graphic to imply an unsubstantiated direct link between NSW Premier Neville Wran and underworld boss Abe Saffron.

The review concluded the Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire series was “in most ways an outstanding achievement” that mounted a scathing demolition of the police investigation and uncovered fresh evidence pointing towards arson being the cause of the fire.

But if found viewers would have been left with the impression the program had concluded Mr Wran was complicit in a cover-up over the fire involving Saffron - a claim which the broadcaster said was not its intention.

Journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna and co-investigator Patrick Begley present Exposed: Ghost Train Fire on the ABC.Credit:ABC

Award-winning journalist Chris Masters and University of Sydney Professor Rodney Tiffen, who conducted the review, found the series “mounted a compelling case for a new investigation.” But the reviewers were critical of documentary makers Caro Meldrum-Hanna and Patrick Begley’s efforts to “point to a direct and/or corrupt relationship with Wran and Saffron” by relying on witness testimony and a graphic.

“In the judgment of the program makers the reliability of the witnesses speaking to this was thoroughly tested and all were considered credible. The review team from a more remote but disinterested standpoint was not so convinced,” the report, published by the ABC on Monday, said.

A storyboard graphic used to link key characters throughout the program “overreached the evidence” by suggesting “a strong and direct link between Wran and Saffron” and was “misleading.”

In a statement, ABC news director Gaven Morris said it was entirely appropriate for the ABC to investigate the accusation that Mr Wran had aided Saffron to secure the lease of Luna Park, noting the allegation had first come to light in the so-called “Age Tapes” investigation.

“ABC News doesn’t accept the reviewers’ opinion that the graphic was misleading. The series did not purport to have proven the allegation,” Mr Morris said.

He said the review had “found no factual inaccuracies” and the ABC was proud of the team’s work in revealing new evidence regarding the fire.

“The series was clearly in the public interest and has resulted in a NSW Police unsolved homicide squad investigation and an historic $1 million dollar reward. The NSW Coroner is formally considering a fresh inquest,” Mr Morris said.

The devastation after the ghost train fire in 1979 at Luna Park. Credit:Rick Stevens

The program was welcomed by the families of the victims of the fire. Paul Carroll, the brother of now deceased Richard Carroll, wrote to the ABC in late May to state it had shown “integrity” and “concern” for the family’s welfare.

The series focused on the deaths of six children and one father, and the involvement of corrupt senior NSW Police in its first investigation and inadequate second investigation. The police concluded the fire was the result of an electrical fault.

A third episode alleged Mr Wran, who was then-premier of NSW and died in 2014, met socially with Saffron and that High Court judge, Lionel Murphy, and a solicitor discussed in telephone conversations how Mr Wran could be persuaded to back a bid for the burnt Luna Park site by a company owned by Saffron. The accusations were based on claims by Saffron employee, Rosemary Opitz who said Wran had Friday night drinks with Saffron and were “very pally”, and an interview with former policeman, Paul Egge, who was involved in a wire-tapping operation.

The review found “no solid evidence was given to corroborate [Optiz’s] most serious claims, and no contrary views were presented”.

The report notes that in the closing moments of the series, Meldrum-Hanna concludes by telling relatives of the victim that Saffron “was behind the fire and got away with it” and the reason the investigation stalled was because “a lot of powerful people in powerful places protecting Abe” and it “went right to the top”.

“The cumulative effect of interview commentary, the storyboard graphic, the sequence summarising findings with family members and absence of rebuttal content left the reviewers with a strong impression the program concluded Wran was complicit,” the report said.

But the reviewers said Meldrum-Hanna and Begley’s reporting efforts were to be commended.

“The program makers uncovered much suspicious evidence around arson being the cause of the fire, exposed the incompetence of the police investigation, reported on the inadequacies of earlier investigations, revealed the way policymaking by the NSW government benefited Saffron, and the corrupt circle of influence around Saffron,” the review said.

The ABC commissioned the review following strident criticism that it was unfair to Mr Wran from numerous high-profile figures, including former NSW premiers Bob Carr and Barrie Unsworth, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and former ABC chairman David Hill.

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Lisa Visentin is a federal political reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, covering education and communications.

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