Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: This Tom Phillips documentary needs to be called off

Well, it now transpires that the police are allowing a documentary to be made about Tom Phillips and their hunt for him.

It's being made by Julie Christie, who’s produced lots of great television in the past, particularly reality TV.

There are camera crews following police officers and being given access - if you want to call it that - behind the scenes, the kind of access that the average media crew can't get.

Now, personally, I think this documentary needs to be killed off immediately.

I do not blame the police for saying yes to this documentary in the first place.

If it hadn't ended this way - with Tom Phillips trying to kill a police officer and then being shot dead in response in front of his daughter - it might have actually been a good idea to do this documentary.

It might have shown the efforts that the police have gone to over the last four years to track him down, the consideration that they've put into it, the care that they've taken. It might actually have been really good PR for the police.

But now, what it is, is mainly just a threat to these kids' future.

It is going to be hard enough for these children to find a way to be normal in a country that is obsessed with what has happened to them over the last four years.

By the time that this documentary comes out - it might be two years, five years, ten years, who knows, because documentaries aren’t put together fast - who knows?

Hopefully, we will have moved on as a country and be interested in other things.

And all a documentary like this is going to do is remind us - and the world, who are fascinated by what happened to the Phillips kids - about this case all over again.

And we will hit Google and we will remind ourselves of what the kids looked like and what their names are and what happened to them in the bush.

Children should never be punished and tortured for the stupid things that their parents do and the bad decisions that their parents make. They deserve the right to as much anonymity as possible and just the chance to live a life free of what their parents have done.

I don't think that the media, that I belong to, should publish their photos anymore. 

No one should take a photo of them as they look right now, having come out of the bush, and this documentary needs to be called off.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, it now transpires that police are allowing a documentary
to be made about Tom Phillips and their hunt for him.
It's being made by Julie CHRISTI made lots of great
television in the past, reality TV showmaker. There are camera
crews following police officers being given access, if you want
to call that behind the scenes, you know, the kind
of access that the average media crew can't get. Now, personally,

(00:21):
I think this documentary needs to be killed off immediately.
I do not blame the police for saying yes to
this documentary in the first place. If it hadn't ended
this way with Tom Phillips trying to kill a police
officer and then being shot dead in response in front
of his daughter, if that hadn't happened, and of various
other things hadn't ended the way that they had, it
might have actually been a good idea to do this documentary.
It might have shown the efforts that the police have

(00:43):
gone to over the last four years to track them down,
the consideration that they've put into it, the care that
they've taken. It might actually have been really good pr
for the police. But now what it is is mainly
just a threat to these kids' future. It is going
to be hard enough for these children to find a
way to be normal in a country that is obsessed
with what has happened to them over the last four years.

(01:04):
By the time that this documentary comes out, might be
two years, five years, ten years. Who knows. Documentary is
not put together fast. By the time it comes out,
who knows. Hopefully we will have moved on as a
country and be interested in other things. And all a
documentary like this is going to do is remind us
and the world who are fascinated by what happened to
the Phillips kids, about this case all over again. And

(01:25):
we will hit Google and we will remind ourselves of
what the kids look like, and what their names are,
and what happened to them in the bush. Children should
never be punished and tortured for the stupid things that
their parents do and the bad decisions that their parents make.
They deserve the rights to as much anonymity as possible,
and just the chance to live a life free of
what their parents have done. I don't think that the

(01:45):
media that I belong to should publish their photos anymore.
No one should take a photo of them as they
look right now, Having come out of the bush and
this documentary needs to be called off. For more from
Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks it'd
be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.