Aussie Gold Hunters and Outback Opal Hunters have received government funding intended for documentaries – but sources have said much of the ‘reality’ shows are scripted, Guardian Australia has reported after an investigation.
Aussie Gold Hunters, a documentary series distributed by Warner Bros Discovery, has an audience of 40 million viewers in more than 140 countries.
But in April, the ABC’s Media Watch cited other scenes in Aussie Gold Hunters that seemed to be staged, including one with a “poacher” who was actually the series producer, Michael Dye.
Dye told Media Watch the scene was a “recreation” scene and stepped in when no one else was available.
Government funding of Aussie Gold Hunters and Outback Opal Hunters
But the issue is larger than that. As Guardian Australia reports, producer of Aussie Gold Hunters Electric Pictures has received direct funding from the WA government’s Screenwest documentary funding scheme.
It’s further reported that Electric Pictures has also benefitted from tax offsets through the federally funded Screen Australia.
The production company received more than $4.7m from Screenwest between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2022, when funding data ceased to be made public, of which $4.1m was directly earmarked for Aussie Gold Hunters.
Guardian Australia observes, “But the Media Watch report and documents seen by Guardian Australia have raised questions about whether the series should properly be considered a documentary – as opposed to reality TV, which is ineligible for government grants and tax perks.”
The masthead’s investigation has also looked at Outback Opal Hunters, and found it “takes place in the writing room of its Fremantle-based production company, Prospero Pictures. The series, also commissioned by Warner’s Discovery Channel, is now in its 14th season and is screened in more than 100 countries.”
It has further been found that Outback Opal Hunters has received grants of more than $850,000 from Screenwest since 2018.
Sources speak about Aussie Gold Hunters and Outback Opal Hunters
Amongst the detailed investigation, Guardian Australia found a number concerns.
An Electric Pictures employee told it: “I said, ‘Oh, that’s so amazing, they find the gold just before the wet starts.’ And then someone said, ‘That’s a hose, mate.’ And then I took another really careful look and I could see that it was fake.”
The source added, “You’d have these meetings with Discovery Channel and they’d be saying, ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be good if this happened?’ So you’d write scripts where you were saying this sort of thing might happen, but what they really meant – all unsaid or not in writing – was that’s what you had to make happen.”
And a former cast member of Aussie Gold Hunters said:
“It’s staged, like a drama.
“When things get stolen in the camp, it’s always a set-up. When people’s cars break down, the loader or the dozer, it’s all made up, it’s all a set-up. These things do happen out here, but not when we’re filming.”
A statement from Prospero Productions’ managing director, Julia Redwood, said the stories told in Outback Opal Hunters were “authentic and based on extensive discussions with our contributors.”
She added, “Story recreations can occur if anecdotes or scenarios happen when our cameras are not in the field.”
Electric Pictures chief executive Andrew Ogilvie said: “These funding agencies have clear eligibility criteria which they rigorously assess, and Aussie Gold Hunters has been found to comply with the relevant guidelines on multiple occasions, over many years, by all agencies involved in the production.”
For more details read here.
Mediaweek will provide updates as more information is released.
Main image: Media Watch shared a snippet from Outback Gold Hunters. Image: YouTube