SYNOPSIS:

ACT 1 A run-down house in the suburbs where cocky Colin Thurgood – the pretentious front man of an investigative journalist team – and cameraman, Brash Thomas and sound engineer, Terry Connelly, film an intro for a current affairs segment. The home belongs to conman Mario Portelli who arrives walking his dog. Seeing the film crew, he runs, throwing away the dog lead. They give chase and corner him, but Portelli lashes out and decks Colin. But Brash places down his still rolling camera and decks him. In the editing room, Boss gives the trio a job – attend a media conference given by high-profile aboriginal activist lawyer, Abe Warupingu, about the Aboriginal drop-in centre he just opened. Don’t stuff this one up, says Boss. Abe asked for him personally. But at the conference, Colin inadvertently offends Abe with his racist questions. While leaving, they record Abe on a mobile phone discussing a permit for an oil lease in outback Northern Territory. Colin gets on the phone to Boss and asks to do an assignment of a potentially explosive report that will blow the ratings out of the water. Given the assignment, they uncover a notice in the Northern Territory Times outlining the claim and head to the aboriginal reserve indicated on the notice. Colin explains he is on no one’s side and wishes only to present the facts. He is, after all, a serious investigative journalist. The other crew members snigger. Interviewing the elder of the tribe, Mick Janilara, initially denies what they uncovered but comes clean and reluctantly takes them to the oil rig. While there, they are on the spot when oil comes gushing out. They film an oil rigger saying it’s a huge reserve and asking how they’ll spend their billions. Some of Mick’s peers think of him as a ‘toasted marshmallow’ – black on the outside, but white and soft on the inside. Colin puts forward the rumour that they aren’t equipped to manage such a large undertaking and wouldn’t it be prudent to employ someone with skills. Mick uncovers to the crew that he has a business degree from Queensland University and has run the Queensland Aboriginal Land Council. He is against giving a ‘bloody’ white man control over the fortune they’ve uncovered. It is a week later when the crew films Abe and Mick leaving a board room meeting. Abe explains they have just set up the biggest deal in corporate history with several multinational companies. It’s worth billions. They have access to huge lines of credit to get the oil produced. They leave very happy men. ACT 2 Inside the board room that General Sir Phillip Arthurs - a major power broker in the Macquarie and Collins Streets Club, owner of the TV network the crew works for and chairman of the consortium that is financing the tribe - gives them access to proceedings in the board room. The trio keep a low profile as they film the reaction of the consortium members. The members’ racism is exposed in thinly veiled paternalistic references to the aboriginals being incapable of managing their affairs – as they always have been. They think that the tribe’s insistence that they handle all business affairs is ludicrous, suggesting that someone competent and white should be put in as its head to manage. Sir Arthurs knows of a perfectly good, cheap Harvard MBA who’d do an admirable job. Then someone raises the hypothetical question about the legality of their claim, to which the others raise eyebrows. It isn’t taken further. They begin hypothesising in “what if’s”, ending at a conclusion that suggests they will try to unravel the tribe’s ownership so as to give it to ‘more responsible people that have the country’s welfare in mind’ rather than leaving it in the hands of a tribe of uneducated fringe dwellers who have the commercial nouse of pre-oil Arabs. In the Gents, Sir Arthurs gets a pain in his side that doubles him over. After sitting down for a spell, he’s right again. A few days later, Mick is in a tribal meeting with his peers. The camera trio are allowed access. The tribe wants equal distribution of the wealth, but Mick wants the money pooled for bigger things like employing and training aboriginals to build houses, roads, power and water supplies. They reach a compromise where the tribe is given large amounts of money each, but the remainder is held in trust until they can decide what to do with it. Secretly, on camera, Mick declares he will invest the money in companies with excellent prospects of discovering medical breakthroughs – cancer, diabetes, blindness, and genetic research. Recording it on camera is his insurance that he is not personally to profit from it but is doing it for the good of his people, which they will come to realise in time. Mid-Point The camera crew follow the aboriginal tribe members as they are given access to enormous lines of credit based on the vast volume of oil they’ve found. They follow some younger members of the tribe around as they end up buying consumer items: cars, bling, fancy clothes. When the crew follow them down an alleyway in a run down part of town (ostensibly to visit a relative), they are confronted by the poverty and squalor they once lived in. They have an epiphany: they realise they’re becoming like white people – toasted marshmallows. On camera the crew return with the young ones to the tribal council where they question their profligate ways when many of their kind live in squalor and degrading conditions. The young ones put forward a plan: buy controlling shares in mining corporations that mine areas of land that was once theirs; gradually buying back their land and returning the environment back to its natural state. They want to employ the ‘down and outs’ in the metropolitan areas and thereby give them hope. Given access to film the Executives’ backroom discussions, the TV crew record how the group’s ‘what if’ speculations of earlier have come true. The more powerful ones among the five of them contract political lobbyists and media magnates to ‘educate’ the public as to the negative effects on the economy of not mining. They view this not as conspiratorial but as a public service. But two members of the group break ranks, not believing in their cause. When they appear on a rival TV network denouncing the backroom dealings, Sir Arthurs orders the crew to investigate them. Sir Arthurs reveals that a dinner with a Supreme Court judge has uncovered a possible breach of the NT’s Petroleum Act 2007 – basically calling into doubt the validity of the permit to explore for oil – and advises that he is instituting legal proceedings in the Supreme Court to challenge the aboriginal claim. The Court has given him standing, putting him ahead of the queue. The pain in Sir Arthurs’ side has gotten worse and he is filmed taking medicine. He gets a phone call on his mobile from his doctor, at which time he excuses the film crew. The TV crew follow the aboriginal tribe as they invest hundreds of millions into affordable housing for their people, putting all of their unemployed to work in construction. They have also paid for roads and hospitals to be built out of the proceeds of oil now starting to come through. They are also present when Mick invests seed money into medical research – especially a small medical research lab which had been seeking Government funding for years on its important and ground-breaking research into cancer- primarily Pancreatic cancer. While driving to one of the medical centres with Mick and Abe in the car, the crew film a car following them. When they stop and approach the car, it takes off. Later that day, when Colin is dropped off Brian films as Colin runs out of his house. They film that his house has been turned upside down. A few days later, called by Sir Arthurs to join him in the club, the TV crew film the meeting with the consortium where he explains that their court challenge of the validity of the claim is to be presented at court next week. As icing on the cake, his investigators have secretly audited the aboriginal company’s accounts and uncovered evidence of missing money valued at hundreds of millions of dollars (Mick’s medical research seed development fund). The Federal Police Fraud Squad, ACCC and ASIC have been informed and evidence given to them. A warrant is about to be issued for Mick’s arrest. Sir Arthurs reveals to the group that he has pancreatic cancer and has three months to live, but will see the things through to the end so that the country benefits from the income generated by the sale of minerals currently and illegally owned by the aboriginal tribe. After the meeting, the crew film themselves discussing whether or not to warn Mick. Deciding to warn him, they drive to the hotel Mick is in and are in the room about to explain what has happened when detectives burst in and arrest Mick. His entourage immediately think the TV crew led the police to Mick. They threaten Colin with violence, but the crew follow Mick to the Federal Police HQ and are refused entry. ACT 3 Back at the tribe some days later, the crew film the dejected looks of the people. Half built houses and construction machinery lie dormant, abandoned, around them. Mick has been released on a large bail – inordinately large given the alleged crime and smacks of discrimination – and film Abe and others discussing their future. Resentment is high and suspicions are thrown on Colin – they always considered him smarmy, cocky and not really on their side – for having sided with the whites. Colin says something inflammatory and the younger aboriginals pounce on him beating him, Mick protesting in the background. Brian drags him to the safety of their rented car and takes off. The crew next film Sir Arthurs in hospital getting chemo-therapy. Colin reveals the tribe had invested money in a small medical research laboratory that was about to unveil a cure for pancreatic cancer. The steps outside the High Court: the film crew come up to Sir Arthurs, looking gaunt and in a wheel chair. He is happy that the Court has ruled in his favour and declares that developing the oil will be his greatest priority. He extols the virtues of the free enterprise system and how it contributes to wealth and welfare of all Australians. He also declares that now that the ownership debate has been resolved, the mines bought out and closed down by Mick and his tribe will be reopened – for the good of the country, proper and responsible management of resources will recommence. The Harvard MBA will commence work next week. On the same steps but further back, Mick emerges. The film crew come up to him and his barristers. Other current affairs and news bulletin film crews interviewing Sir Arthurs see Mick and make a bee-line to him. Mick declares he has lost the claim but has been exonerated of the charge of embezzlement. Although the Court rules in favour of the consortium, their judgement contains statements implicating the consortium in possible fraud and opening the door for an inquiry into corruption in the various State and Territory departments of resources and minerals. Mick reads out the majority judgement from the case. Colin has won a position as a presenter and reports on the life of Sir Arthurs who has just died of pancreatic cancer. He also reveals that the NT Government declared an Inquiry into the fraudulent practices of the Department of Minerals. It starts a domino effect with other State departments. The Federal Police issue warrants for the arrest of the principles in the consortium, with two of that group turning State’s evidence and being key witnesses in the emerging conspiracy to defraud the aboriginal’s legitimate claims.