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The Marker Transcript
The Marker Transcript
Summary: In this 16 minute film follow the journey of new employee Martin Tully who
finds himself caught up in a cartel. Does Martin cheat with his competitors or tell the truth?
Transcript
SCENE 1. INSIDE THE COFFEE SHOP
MARTIN TULLY (38): nurses a coffee. Handsome and well dressed, he fidgets for a while
before speaking.
Camera flashes and chaos. Within a scrum of media Martin’s face is revealed. He is being
jostled. In slow motion he turns to camera as the screen is blinded by a flash.
MARTIN: (Voice over from the previous scene.) ...but a year ago if you’d told me...(ironic
snort) well you know...there’s no way I would’ve believed you.
The flash fades away to reveal Martin standing with a group of fellow workers having their
photo taken.
GORDON is buying a drink at the bar and takes change from the bar maid.
GORDON: Thanks very much. Oh, actually, you’ve given me too much.
FIONA ALSTON: (late 40’s) has a drink in her hand and is talking with MARTIN. She is a
powerful mix of beauty and brains.
MARTIN: Great. A little daunting but, no it’s been good. I’ll be fine. Just give me a couple
of weeks to get up to speed...
FIONA: No time for that I’m afraid. Before Neale left was working on a major tender
submission and I need you to take it over.
A big boisterous bear of a man cuts a path through the crowd towards them. He seems to
know everyone.
GORDON HAYES (42). Walks towards FIONA and plants a kiss on her cheek.
Gordon turns to Martin and fixes him a stare. Then he shakes Martin’s hand.
MARTIN: Yeah.
Martin is surprised.
MARTIN: Yeah
GORDON: No, seriously, he was a great loss. He knew his way around. He was a good man,
Neale.
GORDON: Ah look, I gotta keep going, Fi. I’ll get some stuff over to you in the morning.
FIONA: As in the competition. Nature of the industry, Martin. Eventually you get to know
everyone. See you Monday.
Fiona leaves. Martin is left standing alone and finishes his drink.
FIONA is speaking on the telephone to someone when Martin enters. She holds up her hand
as if to stop him coming in but Martin walks in and stands at the opposite side of her desk.
FIONA: No. It’s all good. Mike, can I call you back in five? Thanks. Bye.
MARTIN: So I’ve compared these figures from last year’s and I think we might be a little
tight with our contingency cover of two weeks. Which is going to effect the bottom line, and
the competition might ...
Fiona pushes an Ipad towards Martin and swipes through some pages.
MARTIN: What?
FIONA: I told you Martin. Eventually you get to know everyone. And everything.
LUCY: Oh, I’m just letting work know that I’m going to need some leave.
MARTIN: Holidays? As long as it’s not in the next two weeks- they’ve already got me
working on some big tender.
Lucy grabs his hands and places them on her stomach. Martin looks puzzled. Lucy beams.
Then it clicks. She’s pregnant.
MARTIN: Oh my God!
LUCY: Laughs
MARTIN: Really?
LUCY: Yeah
LUCY: I know!
Martin is working at his computer when he gets a text message on his mobile phone. It is
from Gordon. The message appears on the screen
GORDON: Ka-ching!$$$$$ You guys got this one. My turn next! Gordon Martin reads the
message and puzzles over it. Fiona appears at his door.
FIONA: Oh. There you are. I just got off the phone with Carl Pentland.Congratulations we
got the tender. I’m just on my way to tell the team but I wanted you to be the first to know.
MARTIN: Yeah. I... Yeah
Crowded. Raucous. Celebration drinks all round. Gordon, Fiona and Martin are sitting
together toasting with champagne.
FIONA: You shouldn’t speak about our clients like that, Gordon.
MARTIN: Oh, and let’s not forget our competitors. Mate, it wasn’t your day.
GORDON: No, but what goes around, comes around, mate. Look, we’re all friends here.
What are doing this Saturday, actually? I’m having some ‘competitors’ around to my place
for some drinks. You and your wife should join us?
Gordon has his arm around Fiona and they move closer together when he says this.
MARTIN: Thank you, but I think I’ve already got something on.
Fiona and Gordon withdraw slightly and seem put out that Martin has turned the invitation
down. Martin looks uncomfortable at their closeness.
Martin is telling someone about how the arrangement with Cartwall works.
MARTIN: It’s been going on so long now. It’s just the way things are done. They stick to the
South and East and we’re North and East. We don’t cross territories and it is the same for the
smaller guys
The tenders get rotated around. You just fill them in as you’re told. And if someone new
starts up that doesn’t want to play ball then we...
GORDON – speaking to Martin: Now these guys out west – I need you to get them onside.
GORDON: Look, everyone needs to understand that this is how things operate
JEFF’s daughter is jumping on the trampoline. JEFF’S partner KATE (34) is talking to Lucy.
LUCY: Oh . We’re really lucky. I don’t think we could have coped on his salary alone if
he’d stayed where he was...
JEFF (38) and Martin are drinking and talking near the barbecue.
JEFF: Seriously mate that is unbelievable. What? You haven’t been there a month and you
nail your annual budget.
MARTIN: Uh-huh. Between you and me? It was already a done deal. All I had to do was
rock up, polish it up and take the cash...
JEFF: Oh. It sounds perfect. Hey, have they got any room in the finance department?
Martin is writing notes and receives a text message from Gordon on his mobile phone
Martin reads the text message and picks up the land line to call Gordon. Gordon doesn’t
answer and Martin has to leave a message
MARTIN: Yeah Gordon it’s Martin. I’ve been trying to get onto those guys for the last
couple of days. I’ll let you know when I do, mate.
LUCY and MARTIN have been shopping and are unloading the car.
LUCY: I’m just not into the secrecy thing. I mean what’s wrong with finding out. Kate
knew. It makes sense, don’t you think?
Martin receives another text message from Gordon and is more focused on that than on the
conversation with Lucy.
The text message from Gordon comes up on the screen.
MARTIN: What?
MARTIN: No.
MARTIN: Some people don’t need to know, Lucy. We don’t just go around telling
everyone. That’s not how things operate.
MARTIN is walking out and speaking on his mobile phone. He seems confused. As he
emerges he looks across the street to a car. The driver’s window winds down to reveal
Gordon. Martin crosses the road and gets into the car. They drove off and park at an isolated
place under a bridge at a riverside dock area. The get out of the car and walk over to the river
to talk.
MARTIN: Look. I’ve been trying to get onto the guy, alright? But when he gets back from
annual leave I’ll ...
GORDON: Don’t guess. We never guess. Mate, a couple of years ago I got an offer - another
mob - a completely different industry. They threw the lot at me: super, cars, bonuses – you
name it. It was a nice package. But that’s the thing. You can take the money and run a
company or you can stay where you are and run an industry. Oh – you’re helping people’s
jobs. You’re making a difference.
GORDON sends a text message to Martin’s phone. A telephone number appears on the
screen.
GORDON: That’s my new number. Doubt anyone, anything seems a bit weird - you give me
a call on that number, OK?
GORDON suddenly relaxes and throws an arm around Martin. He laughs. Shakes his head
and grabs Martin around the back of the neck.
GORDON: No mate. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine, OK? Don’t worry about a thing.
MARTIN looks worried and is checking his mobile phone for messages.
Martin is pouring himself a glass of red wine. He notices Lucy’s mobile sitting on the bench.
He stares at it. We hear THE SOUND OF A SHOWER begin in another room. He picks up
the phone and begins to search through it. Lucy appears in a robe behind him. She is visibly
pregnant.
LUCY: Who?
LUCY moves close to Martin and jokes with him as if he is being jealous or possessive. She
takes the phone from him
LUCY smiles.
MARTIN: What’s it to you? I don’t have to tell you who I’m calling all the time. You know
I’m getting pretty tired of having to justify myself to you.
LUCY puts the phone down and walks out of the room, clearly annoyed.
FIONA: Hi Martin.
Martin turns away to take a deep breath, tries to calm himself. He is barely holding it
together.
MARTIN: What’s going on Fiona!?! I’ve been trying to get onto Gordon for weeks...
MARTIN: He’s not bust. You know I’ve been trying to get onto these guys, but
FIONA: Martin.
MARTIN: Aw, but I am trying... That’s why he’s ignoring me. That’s why he’s decided he
can’t trust me.
FIONA: Martin! MARTIN: That’s why this whole thing is going to turn to shit if we don’t...
FIONA: Martin!
MARTIN: What?
SCENE 31. MARTIN IN HIS CAR OUTSIDE THE FACTORY OF THE GUYS OUT
WEST. HE IS LISTENING TO THE RADIO:
RADIO NEWS REPORT: The competition watchdog has new teeth to crack down on price
fixing. The ACCC will be able to take action against competitors that secretly share price
information...
MARTIN: quickly gets out of the car. He paces angrily and smashes a corrugated iron fence
with his fist, paces again and screams in frustration.
LUCY is sitting on the sofa reading a book. She looks up when Martin comes in. She’s ready
for a fight.
LUCY: No. I wanted to know whether you were going to be home for dinner or not.
LUCY: Well neither can I. (Lucy pushes Martin) So maybe you need to make a decision
whether you want to be here or not!
He reaches the shredder and stands over it feeding the Cartwall documents in.
JEFF: What do I reckon? Well let’s see. You’ve got a bit of price fixing, some government
tender rigging, dividing up the territories... It sounds like you’re running a cartel.
MARTIN: Jesus.
JEFF: Then you need help. You need to talk to someone. Someone who knows about this
stuff.
JEFF’s Voice over from the last scene continues into this scene as MARTIN is at his desk
navigating the ACCC website.
MARTIN: (Voice over for the beginning of the next scene) So I found the website...
The scene swings around to reveal Martin is talking to two officers from the ACCC.
PHILLIP: Now Martin, as we’ve discussed only the first person who approaches the ACCC
can claim immunity – no one else. And that’s only in the case where the person clearly isn’t
the leader of the cartel, and hasn’t coerced others into joining the cartel.
On that basis and on the evidence you given us so far, I can confirm that there is an immunity
marker available to you.
MARTIN nods his head and smiles with relief.
MARTIN is in his office at the photocopier. The last person says goodbye. He begins to copy
pages from a file. A voice over from the previous scene at the cafe continues.
MARTIN opens the lid and the light flashes across his face. It fills the screen with light as we
cut to the next scene.
Martin is back on the courthouse steps. The flash recedes and we see that Martin isn’t the
focus of the press pack. Gordon is in handcuffs being led to a waiting car. Martin turns and
looks off screen. We see Lucy standing with a pram at the end of the street. Martin turns and
walks towards her. They embrace and walk away.
Over a still of Martin the following words appear: The ACCC gave Martin a marker under its
immunity program. He disclosed everything he knew and fully cooperated to assist the
successful prosecution. He was given full immunity.
Over a still of Gordon the following words appear: The Cartwall business was fined millions
of dollars and is facing a class action from customers who were victims of the cartel. Gordon
was convicted and sent to jail.
Over a still of Fiona the following words appear: Fiona was banned from managing any
company and was fined $400,000 which by law only she could pay. She had to sell her house.
Businesses and individuals involved in cartels face hefty fines and penalties.
Businesses and individuals involved in cartels face hefty fines and penalties.
Businesses
www.accc.gov.au/cartels
The events depicted in this film are fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is
purely coincidental.