Podcasts by Background Briefing

When the floodwater goes, what's next? from 2022-04-17T08:05

Reporter Geoff Thompson followed several residents of Lismore as they tried to recover from February's monster flood in Northern NSW. But before they'd finished the clean-up, the waters started t...

The mums accused of poisoning their kids from 2022-04-10T08:05

An almost unimaginable crime: two women accused of poisoning their own children at the same Sydney hospital. Both were charged and spent years separated from their families, but both say they were...

The end of Australia's biggest coal fired power plant from 2022-04-03T08:05

Jim works in the control room at Eraring Power Station, where one quarter of NSW's power is produced. But Jim and his 450 colleagues have recently found out that his workplace will be closing down...

The quiet drug crisis you haven't heard about from 2022-03-27T08:05

Prison authorities know that drugs are constantly finding their way into our prisons. But the most commonly detected drug is one you might never have heard of. And health experts are warning ther...

The scientists questioning a serial murder case from 2022-03-20T08:05

She was convicted of killing her four children nearly two decades ago. But new scientific evidence has come to light, leading some of Australia’s most respected scientists to argue that Kathleen F...

Inside aged care's Omicron chaos from 2022-03-13T08:05

This wave of coronavirus caused more Australians to die in aged care homes than any variant before it. This time we had vaccines and we had time to prepare. Reporter Geoff Thompson investigates h...

Catching a Fugitive | Part 2 from 2022-03-06T08:05

Charles Batham has been in hiding for years, and after two narrow escapes the trail goes cold. Then, reporter Erin Parke gets a tip-off that that brings the global investigation back from the br...

Catching a fugitive | part 1 from 2022-02-27T08:05

A tall, eccentric Englishman with a secret double life flees Australia. For nine years he remains on the run. What he doesn't know is that two Australian women are tracking his movements from a...

The boss you can't escape from from 2022-02-20T08:05

Why a part of our workforce is afraid to speak up, even if their lodgings have bedbugs, it's hard to get a shower, or their pay is getting docked by random amounts. Reporter Mario Christodoulou in...

How COVID chokes a hospital from 2022-02-13T08:05

For months the NSW government assured the public that its hospitals were coping through the pandemic. But frontline staff are now speaking out about the barely controlled chaos behind the scenes. ...

The kids who broke out of detention from 2022-02-06T08:05

What children experienced inside Tasmania's youth detention centre for a long time remained out of sight, out of mind. But as Mahmood Fazal discovered, the centre's secrets are coming out now, as ...

Summer Season: Her name was Mhelody Bruno from 2022-01-30T08:05

She died in tragic circumstances, but it seems that the public, her family, even the court may not have been given the full story. Elise Kinsella investigates why. This is a repeat of a program t...

Summer Season: A far-right troll's journey from an Ipswich bedroom to global infamy from 2022-01-16T08:05

A young Australian far-right troll was known to his online fans as 'Catboy Kami'. Thousands followed his 'edgy' videos where he targeted children online with a mix of racial stereotypes and hardcor...

Summer Season: The hidden park of last resort from 2022-01-09T08:05

It’s one of the last affordable caravan parks near Sydney's CBD where people can actually make a home. Many of the residents were driven here in one of life's desperate moments, but as Mridula Ami...

Summer Season:'The ghosts are not silent' from 2022-01-02T08:05

An awkward Christmas lunch conversation sends reporter Sam Carmody on a search for answers about his family history. The stories he finds out about are so disturbing, they have implications not jus...

Summer Season: The death Uber Eats disowned from 2021-12-26T08:05

Relatives of a dead food delivery rider say he was at work when a truck hit him. Uber Eats says he wasn’t. Patrick Begley investigates. This is a repeat of a program that aired in June 2021.

Summer Season: The place where people mysteriously disappear from 2021-12-19T08:05

Warren Meyer was a keen bushwalker who always came prepared for a hike. When he vanished in the wild terrain of the Yarra Ranges, police were baffled. Ashlynne McGhee investigates whether his d...

The giant wind farms clearing Queensland bush from 2021-12-12T08:05

There’s growing community backlash over the locations chosen for a number of massive new windfarm projects in Northern Queensland. And as Mayeta Clark discovered, its coming from unlikely quarters.

The infiltrator who helped hatch a terror plot from 2021-12-05T08:05

A young Melbourne man got ten years' jail after attempting to buy a gun in preparation for a possible terrorist attack. Now his family is speaking publicly for the first time, raising questions ab...

The biggest financial scandal you've never heard of from 2021-11-28T08:05

It's been celebrated as Australia's "millionaires' factory". But Macquarie Bank is now caught up in the mother of all tax investigations. Reporter Mario Christodoulou has seen internal company fi...

Boom time in carbon farming country from 2021-11-21T08:05

Graziers are discovering there's millions to be made from their flat red earth. Taxpayers are funding billions to reduce the nation's carbon footprint. Reporter Geoff Thompson investigates whethe...

The hidden terror that's splitting people's identities from 2021-11-14T08:05

Reporter Tracey Shelton spent years as a correspondent giving a voice to people in war zones who'd experienced trauma. When she returned to Australia, she was surprised to find people here suffer...

Vulnerable, unvaxxed, and running out of time from 2021-11-07T08:05

These people were supposed to be near the front of the queue for Covid vaccines. But in Yarrabah, an Aboriginal community near Cairns, local doctors are still scrambling to get the vaccination rat...

How a conspiracy and a question led to 18 years jail from 2021-10-31T08:05

He was sentenced for a crime that shocked Australia: the terrorist plot to attack Sydney's Holsworthy barracks. But Nayef el Sayed's family are still confused about why he's doing so much jail ti...

Untouchable Assets | Part 3 from 2021-10-06T08:05

As government investigators close in, Asiaciti realises it hasn't been keeping a close watch on some of its risky clients. In this series finale, Mario Christodoulou traverses from Swiss mountaint...

Untouchable Assets | Part 2 from 2021-10-05T08:05

A rock concert ticket scalper and a controversial entrepreneur turn to Asiaciti for assistance. Using products from Graeme Briggs' company, they lock away their riches on a small Pacific island na...

Untouchable Assets | Part 1 from 2021-10-04T08:05

Graeme Briggs enjoys rugby, collecting Japanese fountain pens, and looking after other people's money. The problem for Graeme and his company Asiaciti is that among the many legitimate clients, s...

The Sydney security expert helping Afghan journalists escape from 2021-09-26T08:05

Geoff Thompson follows the dangerous journeys of three Afghan journalists as they attempt to flee the Taliban. Two of them succeed with the help of an Australian man who engineers an escape route f...

'The ghosts are not silent' from 2021-09-19T08:05

An awkward Christmas lunch conversation sends reporter Sam Carmody on a search for answers about his family history. The stories he finds out about are so disturbing, they have implications not jus...

What it's like to face terrorism charges from 2021-08-15T08:05

Since the September 11 attacks, Australia has enacted a staggering number of laws to counter the threat of terrorism. Over one hundred people have been charged with terror-related offences here, bu...

Inside the epicentre of Australia's Delta outbreak from 2021-08-08T08:05

As COVID-19 cases surged in Sydney's south-west City of Fairfield, the government enforced tougher restrictions on residents there. But as Geoff Thompson discovers, these constraints have had s...

Reality TV's reckoning from 2021-08-01T08:05

Reality shows are a central pillar of the television industry, but for the people who appear on them, the productions can be a gateway to years of mental anguish. As Naomi Selvaratnam found out, f...

A far-right troll's journey from an Ipswich bedroom to global infamy from 2021-07-25T08:05

A young Australian far-right troll was known to his online fans as 'Catboy Kami'. Thousands followed his 'edgy' videos where he targeted children online with a mix of racial stereotypes and hardcor...

Myanmar: The Spring Revolution from 2021-07-18T08:05

In Myanmar, after a military coup in February this year, mass protests were met with brutal force. Borders were shut, the internet was blocked and it is estimated that around 900 people have been k...

Unmasking Monsters from 2021-07-11T08:05

Bob Montgomery was one of Australia's most famous psychologists. But he was hiding a dark secret. Josh Robertson has the story of how he got away with it for so long.

Her name was Mhelody Bruno from 2021-07-04T08:05

She died in tragic circumstances, but it seems that the public, her family, even the court may not have been given the full story. Elise Kinsella investigates why.

The death Uber Eats disowned from 2021-06-27T08:05

Relatives of a dead food delivery rider say he was at work when a truck hit him. Uber Eats says he wasn’t. Patrick Begley investigates

The killer we've invited into the lounge room from 2021-06-20T08:05

When winter arrives there's nothing like curling up in front of a fire heater with a glass of wine. But there's something disturbing in this cosy picture. As Alison Branley discovers, there's a...

How Australians are escaping India's Covid catastrophe from 2021-06-13T08:05

Thousands of Australians went to India back when it seemed like coronavirus was under control. Some went to care for elderly parents. But, as Alex Mann discovers, their noble intentions counted f...

The rural stoush fuelled by our chicken meat obsession from 2021-06-06T08:05

As Australians eat more and more chicken, we need to find places to raise the animals. But as broiler sheds pop up across rural Victoria, the neighbours are learning that there are more downsides...

The memo that erased a scandal from 2021-04-25T08:05

Ballarat orphanage superintendent Hylton Sedgman was due to face nine child abuse charges. Buried in a 1964 file is the reason he never stood trial. Charlotte King investigates why.

The Archbishop, the luxury pad, and the COVID-ravaged aged care home from 2021-04-18T08:05

It was the site of Australia's deadliest coronavirus outbreak. This week, Ashlynne McGhee investigates how Melbourne's St Basil's Homes for the Aged has been funnelling tens of millions of taxpay...

The hidden park of last resort from 2021-04-11T08:05

It’s one of the last affordable caravan parks near Sydney's CBD where people can actually make a home. Many of the residents were driven here in one of life's desperate moments, but as Mridula Ami...

The Base Tapes | Part 2 from 2021-04-04T08:05

In the second and final episode of his investigation, Alex Mann tracks down the two youngest candidates who applied to join the neo-Nazi group and tries to find out how they were radicalised.

The Base Tapes | Part 1 from 2021-03-28T08:05

Secret recordings reveal how a global white supremacist terror group dedicated to inciting a race war recruited young Australian men. Alex Mann investigates.

The small town torn apart by big bets from 2021-03-14T08:05

Peter and Kath were investors in a secret punters' club that turned out to be a multi-million dollar scam. When the kingpin pleaded guilty, there were nearly two thousand victims left desperate to...

The place where people mysteriously disappear from 2021-03-07T08:05

Warren Meyer was a keen bushwalker who always came prepared for a hike. When he vanished in the wild terrain of the Yarra Ranges, police were baffled. Ashlynne McGhee investigates whether his d...

The chilling secrets of a Melbourne guru from 2021-02-28T08:05

For decades people have flocked to a bucolic ashram in one of Melbourne’s most exclusive suburbs to hear Russell Kruckman spin his folksy brand of meditation, yoga and spirituality. But as Dan Oa...

A nearby nurse and the firefighter left to wait in agony from 2021-02-21T08:05

Volunteer firefighter Rodney O'Keeffe survived a fire tornado, but it left him with broken ribs and severe burns. A mere 800 metres away, there was a remote area nurse desperately trying to reach ...

The fight to stop a tiny battery from killing kids from 2021-02-14T08:05

Andrea and Allison formed an unlikely friendship after their daughters died in remarkably similar circumstances. Annie Gaffney investigates how they turned their grief into action to prevent that ...

The scientists and shamans of psychedelic retreats from 2021-02-07T08:05

There's a landmark project underway in Melbourne to find out whether psilocybin - the hallucinogenic compound in magic mushrooms - can be used to improve end-of-life experiences. But many Australi...

Summer Season: how one school failed its students from 2021-01-03T08:05

Kimberly's sunny, athletic and inquisitive about everything. But for years she harboured terrible secrets about what happened to her. This week, Janine Fitzpatrick investigates why her school f...

Summer Season: This judge’s unfair decisions upended people’s lives. What can be done about it? from 2020-12-27T08:05

These Australians were denied a fair hearing by one controversial judge. Now, for the first time, they're speaking out about their experiences. Hagar Cohen investigates what happens when the beh...

Summer Season: He wanted an ambulance. He got a police"dog box". from 2020-12-20T08:05

Tristan was a kind and gentle 23-year-old surfer from Byron Bay. One night he suffered a drug-induced psychotic episode. And ended up driven to hospital in a small steel cage. Police say it is p...

Summer season: Inside the brazen tax scam where the homeless are made company directors from 2020-12-13T08:05

It's a long-running ‘dummy director’ scam that’s siphoned tens of millions of dollars from workers, small businesses and the taxpayer. In Victoria, a small group of accountants spent 15 years signi...

Buyer Wanted - Mothballed Oil Rig from 2020-12-06T08:05

Did you know you're the lucky operator of a rusty oil rig floating in the Timor Sea? You, along with 25-odd-million others, that is. This week, reporter Alex Mann investigates why Australian ta...

The billion-dollar sports industry that can't keep up with the cheats from 2020-11-29T08:05

It's got audiences bigger than the Superbowl. Its star players earn more for a single tournament than the winner of the Australian Open. Mario Christodoulou investigates how esports became such...

450 days trapped on a cargo ship from 2020-11-22T08:05

Ronbert has sailed into bustling ports all over the world. But he can't get home or even set foot on dry land. Geoff Thompson investigates how the closure of borders has left 400,000 seafarers ...

How contact tracers confront lies on the COVID frontline from 2020-11-15T08:05

They helped stamp out coronavirus by relying on human intelligence. But as Rachael Brown discovered, there was a weakness in the system. Sometimes people can't be trusted.

Introducing: Thin Black Line from 2020-11-08T08:05

On a spring afternoon in Brisbane's Musgrave Park, 18-year-old traditional dancer and amateur boxer Daniel Yock is drinking with his mates. But when a police van arrives, the mood suddenly change...

The Ponzi scheme that preyed on faith from 2020-11-01T08:05

Bhavesh was in trouble. His wife had just suffered three heart attacks and he couldn't afford treatment. So he turned to trusted members of his spiritual community for help. But as reporter Meghn...

Welcome to Tent City, the underside of WA's coronavirus success story from 2020-10-25T08:05

The thin walls of Neville Riley’s makeshift tent do little to block the constant sound of passing cars and trains. And if he was living in a different city when COVID-19 hit Australia, chances ar...

A horrific playground incident: how one school failed its students from 2020-10-18T08:05

Kimberly's sunny, athletic and inquisitive about everything. But for years she harboured terrible secrets about what happened to her. This week, Janine Fitzpatrick investigates why her school f...

Are these two scholars really a threat to Australia's security? from 2020-10-11T08:05

One's a former translator for Bob Hawke, the other loves Henry Lawson's poetry. So when Professor Chen Hong and Li Jianjun got caught up in a police investigation into foreign influence, many of ...

How banks help criminals get rich: Part 2 from 2020-10-04T08:05

The FINCEN Files have revealed how Australian businesses are involved suspicious transactions worth billions of dollars. This week, Mario Christodoulou follows the money trail home to downtown Sydn...

How banks help criminals get rich from 2020-09-27T08:05

An unprecedented leak of secret US Government reports has revealed how two trillion dollars of suspected dirty money snakes around the globe. This week on Background Briefing, Mario Christodoulou...

Assange's extradition: what's really at stake? from 2020-09-13T08:05

Human rights advocates describe the pursuit of the Wikileaks founder as "a threat to global media freedom". But when a magistrate decides whether he'll be extradited to the United States, how much...

Response from Falun Dafa Association of Australia from 2020-08-25T08:00

In this podcast extra, Hagar Cohen interviews John Deller from the Falun Dafa Association of Australia about the allegations raised in the series.

The Power of Falun Gong, Part 3 from 2020-08-09T08:05

Fledgling media organisations affiliated with Falun Gong have formed strange alliances with far right movements overseas. But what about here in Australia? This week on Background Briefing, Hagar...

The Power of Falun Gong, Part 2 from 2020-08-02T08:05

Secluded in dense forest, two hours north of New York City, there's a hidden headquarters for a new religious order. This otherworldly place is called Dragon Springs and it's sacred to Falun Gong ...

The Power of Falun Gong, Part 1 from 2020-07-26T08:05

When you think of Falun Gong – you might think of quiet groups meditating or silently protesting in city parks. But a joint investigation by Background Briefing and Foreign Correspondent has unco...

No one told these country mums why their babies died from 2020-07-19T08:05

Claire doesn't know if her daughter's death could have been prevented - and she's not alone. Today, babies are more likely to be stillborn in Australia's regional centres than they were 20 years ...

Meet the debt monster from 2020-07-12T08:05

In little over two months' time, the support payments keeping millions of Australians afloat through the pandemic are due to end. Banks' deferrals on mortgage payments are meant to wind up soon af...

Why was this woman sent to a men's prison? from 2020-07-05T08:05

As she entered one of Australia's largest male prisons, Mara Ellis was strip-searched by four prison guards: two men and two women. She says it was the last time the justice system acknowledged sh...

The rallying cry heard the world over from 2020-06-28T08:05

Could Australia's Black Lives Matter movement bring about real world change? Jared Goyette, Bridget Brennan and Allan Clarke trace how the brutal death of George Floyd has resonated with so many,...

Who seeks to profit from the trauma of abuse survivors? from 2020-06-21T08:05

Uncle Justin has waited a long time for an acknowledgement that he has survived institutional child sexual abuse. When the National Redress Scheme was established, he was offered help from a priva...

Why Australia's spies think the far right could find a foothold during coronavirus from 2020-06-14T08:05

Since Australia's coronavirus shutdown began, there's been a spike in reports of racist attacks, where people are targeted because they just happen to look Asian. Intelligence agencies are now war...

The controversial push to rebrand raw milk from 2020-06-07T08:05

Advocates of raw milk say its safe for people to drink the stuff, so long as dairies take proper precautions. But Australian health authorities are wary about re-opening the trade, especially sinc...

How were the kids in this town contaminated? from 2020-05-31T08:05

For children in Port Pirie there is no 10 second rule. When you grow up in a “lead town” eating off the floor is forbidden, and could be harmful to your health. But when a mum follows all the s...

Having a baby alone: How the pandemic has changed how we give birth from 2020-05-22T04:00

Pregnancies and births around the world have been radically changed by the spread of COVID-19. Background Briefing reporter Katherine Gregory is 39 weeks pregnant, and has been watching this news...

Drive-by dinners: Food relief in the time of Corona from 2020-05-20T04:00

Social distancing measures have robbed many charities of the human connection so crucial to their already vulnerable clients. But, as our reporter Geoff Thompson finds out, one charity has radical...

Prison outbreak: Prisoners released to protect them from COVID-19 from 2020-05-15T04:00

Australian prison operators say they're well equipped to deal with a possible COVID-19 outbreak inside their walls. But inmates claim unhygienic conditions are making them fear for their lives. ...

Hotel Corona: How the pandemic could fix homelessness from 2020-04-26T08:05

People experiencing homelessness are being moved from the street and shelters into four-star hotels. The radical plan is meant to protect them from the pandemic and it's temporary. But as Hagar...

Who's profiting from the pandemic? from 2020-04-19T08:05

The coronavirus pandemic is causing pain and suffering the world over, but then there are always those who never let a good crisis go to waste. Some are benefiting from COVID-19 for legitimate rea...

'People will die': Country hospital fears it won't cope with coronavirus from 2020-04-05T08:05

What does it take to prepare for a pandemic? Many hospitals around the world are already overwhelmed by patients infected with COVID-19. Australian doctors and nurses are bracing for something m...

How we're getting through this from 2020-03-29T08:05

Coronavirus is changing the way the entire human race lives. Emergency workers are scrambling together contingency plans, fearing hospitals could soon be overwhelmed. Scientists are racing to inven...

He wanted an ambulance. He got a police"dog box". from 2020-03-22T08:05

Tristan was a kind and gentle 23-year-old surfer from Byron Bay. One night he suffered a drug-induced psychotic episode. And ended up driven to hospital in a small steel cage. Police say it is p...

Mutants or miracles? Australia's GM cows from 2020-03-15T08:05

'If I can't get my house fixed, I'm homeless' from 2020-03-08T08:05

Even after the black summer Australians have just endured, it's not bushfires that's keeping the nation's insurers awake at night. Climate change is bringing cyclones further south - towards high...

How fracking could threaten Australia's Paris target from 2020-03-01T08:05

The Morrison Government claims Australia will meet its emissions targets "in a canter". It points to Australia's status as the world's largest LNG exporter to show how the nation's carbon footprin...

Inside the brazen tax scam where the homeless are made company directors from 2020-02-16T08:05

It's a long-running ‘dummy director’ scam that’s siphoned tens of millions of dollars from workers, small businesses and the taxpayer. In Victoria, a small group of accountants spent 15 years signi...

This predator targeted victims on Tinder for years. Why wasn’t he stopped sooner? from 2020-02-09T08:05

Glenn Hartland is a serial rapist who lured four Melbourne women on Tinder. His victims say he continued to use dating apps while on bail. How did the police, the court, and the company behind Ti...

This judge’s unfair decisions upended people’s lives. What can be done about it? from 2020-02-02T08:05

These Australians were denied a fair hearing by one controversial judge. Now, for the first time, they're speaking out about their experiences. Hagar Cohen investigates what happens when the beh...

Summer special: Murder on trial from 2020-01-26T08:05

In 2011, Boronika Hothnyang was accused of fatally stabbing her best friend, William Awu, directly in the heart. But when police arrived at the scene of the crime, Boronika's apartment in Dandenon...

Summer special: The Golden Nugget Affair from 2020-01-19T08:05

The annual Uluru Camel Cup attracts a prize pool of tens of thousands of dollars, but is largely unregulated under NT law. After a champion camel named “Golden Nugget” won the 2018 race in controv...

Summer special: The Birdman of Surry Hills from 2020-01-12T08:05

From piles of rubbish to leaking sewers, rats, and gas leaks. Pierre the Birdman is on a one-man mission to save his public housing block -- but he doesn’t own a computer, only just got a mobile p...

Summer special: This meth we’re in from 2020-01-05T08:05

Jacki Whittaker thought one of the bedrooms in her Melbourne rental home smelt like "cat piss". But the real culprit was something far more sinister. The previous tenants had been cooking methamph...

Summer special: Welfare to worse from 2019-12-29T08:05

Whistle-blowers from inside Australia's lucrative employment services industry are claiming profits are being prioritised over the needs of vulnerable welfare recipients. Reporter Andy Burns inves...

Summer special: Flight of Fancy from 2019-12-22T08:05

When he rediscovered the elusive night parrot in 2013, John Young became a hero in the bird world. But his reputation is now in tatters after the veracity of his latest fieldwork was criticised b...

Licence to drill from 2019-12-15T08:05

Sydney hip-hop group OneFour are one of Australia’s most popular new musical acts. A month ago they were on the cusp of making it, with millions of streams, major label offers and a national tour....

The problem with winning from 2019-12-08T08:05

Australians lose more money gambling than any other country in the world. But what if you found out the odds were stacked against you? Steve Cannane lifts the lid on how one of the world’s most...

'Should have been a wedding, not a funeral' from 2019-12-01T08:05

People are dying in Queensland mines. Seven workers have been killed since July last year and the pressure to act is mounting. Soon, some mining bosses could serve jail time if their negligenc...

"No water, no us" from 2019-11-24T08:05

What happens when we run out of water? That might seem a long way off, but after years of drought, taps are running dry in towns all over central New South Wales. The region's dams have gone fr...

Where to now? from 2019-11-17T08:05

Its been two years since a campaign of brutal violence and mass rape forced almost a million Rohingyas to flee Myanmar. The International Criminal Court has now agreed to investigate possible crim...

State of emergency from 2019-11-11T15:00

Extraordinary measures have been ordered across New South Wales. There's 60 fires burning in that one state alone. Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong are facing catastrophic fire conditions ahead. ...

Are Australians aiding China's surveillance state? from 2019-10-13T08:05

In the shadow of the Hong Kong protests on university campuses, Australia’s top universities are working with blacklisted Chinese entities involved in Beijing’s surveillance state. This week Back...

Prepare to burn from 2019-10-06T08:05

It’s been the most devastating September for bushfires in this country on record. Experts are warning of more unprecedented weather events than ever before, and they’re calling for urgent nationa...

Who is burning sacred objects in the outback? from 2019-09-22T08:05

A new wave of Pentecostal missionaries is dividing remote communities in Australia’s north. Some are promoting the idea that traditional Aboriginal culture is a type of witchcraft or devil worshi...

What happens in Surf Club... from 2019-09-15T08:05

Surf life savers hold an almost mythical status as Australian heroes who risk their lives to save others. But these dedicated volunteers say they’re being silenced by their own organisation. Now,...

Who watches over our judges? from 2019-09-08T08:06

He comes from a family of legal royalty but this judge is attracting controversy. Judge Sandy Street presides over more refugee cases than any other in the Federal Circuit Court. His defenders sa...

How vaping will make you free from 2019-09-01T08:05

It's mostly illegal to sell nicotine for vaping in Australia, but there are some powerful players who want to change that. The tobacco industry wants smokers to take up vaping, but it's also gett...

Out of jail, 2 nights to find a home from 2019-08-18T08:05

You’ve just been released from jail in a country town. You’re given two nights in a motel, half a dole check, and one set of clothes. Where do you go from there? Liz Keen follows repeat offend...

The Birdman of Surry Hills from 2019-08-11T08:05

From piles of rubbish to leaking sewers, rats, and gas leaks. Pierre the Birdman is on a one-man mission to save his public housing block -- but he doesn’t own a computer, only just got a mobile p...

Welfare to worse from 2019-08-04T08:05

Whistle-blowers from inside Australia's lucrative employment services industry are claiming profits are being prioritised over the needs of vulnerable welfare recipients. This week on Background B...

The Pub Test: why Australia can't stop drinking from 2019-07-28T08:05

Leaked documents show the influence the alcohol industry wields over the federal government’s National Alcohol Strategy. Experts warn this will have dire consequences for the nation’s ability to d...

Under The Hammer from 2019-07-21T08:05

Some paintings by contemporary Australian artists are worth millions of dollars. But what if what you see isn't always what you get? There are claims the art market is plagued with questionable wo...

The Golden Nugget Affair from 2019-07-14T08:05

The annual Uluru Camel Cup attracts a prize pool of tens of thousands of dollars, but its largely unregulated under NT law. After a champion camel named “Golden Nugget” won the 2018 race in contro...

"Slaughter"house — the scandal inside ANZ from 2019-05-26T08:05

Porsches and $5 million bonuses, drinking and late night strip clubbing — we go deep into one of Australia’s biggest ever corporate investigations. This is an alleged rate-rigging scandal that e...

Proxy war: The outsiders campaigning for the major parties from 2019-05-12T08:10

This election campaign has involved more than political candidates and parties on the hustings. We’ve seen grassroots community groups, political activist organisations and social media players ge...

From bias to brutality: How Australia is failing minority groups from 2019-05-05T08:05

They’ve been spat on, punched in the face, and told to go back to where they came from.

Minority groups in Australia insist hate crimes ar...

Shitposting to the Senate: How the alt-right infiltrated Parliament from 2019-04-21T08:05

The global rise of the alt-right movement has caught the attention of politicians and police in Australia.

But few could have predicted it...

The sexual abuse scandal nobody's talking about from 2019-04-14T08:05

When you place a parent or loved one into a nursing home, you trust they'll be looked after by staff.

But sexual abuse in aged care is on...

How some of Australia's biggest live music shows were funded by a Ponzi scheme from 2019-04-07T08:05

The 2000s were a great time for Australian live music lovers with some of the biggest artists of the decade touring the nation.

It was als...