Background Briefing

By ABC Australia

Background Briefing is the ABC's flagship investigative journalism podcast. Its award-winning investigations and documentaries expose cover-ups, corruption, real-life mysteries, whistleblowing, crime, fraud and miscarriages of justice — often before these stories receive mainstream attention. The…

Episodes

An aspiring doctor from the 'burbs takes on medical schools for elitism
From humble beginnings, Fahad faced hurdles entering medical school. Now, he fights for equal access to medical education.
31 min
How an ADHD diagnosis was the start of Natalia’s life unravelling
Natalia had a job at a prestigious university, $120,000 in the bank, a loving partner, and shared custody of her two sons. Then one day, a little over a year later, she woke up in a psychiatric hospital, where doctors told her she was experiencing what’s known as stimulant-induced psychosis.
38 min
The whistleblowers who stared down threats from Australia's biggest bank
How the Commonwealth Bank tried to stop a royal commission by using dirt files, intimidation, threats and surveillance against whistleblowers and journalists.
38 min
The whistleblower who believed his employer was covering up an oil spill
Three dead dolphins turn up in an oil spill.
33 min
The whistleblower who exposed Australia’s secretive offshore detention system
"Simone" arrived on a remote island to help asylum seekers. But she witnessed something there that convinced her to leak over 2000 documents. Reporters Paul Farrell and Maddison Conaughton investigate what happened.
36 min
The Whistleblower who brought down Australia's Dr Death
When patients start unexpectedly dying at a regional hospital, nurse Toni Hoffman takes a big risk to blow the whistle on a negligent surgeon.
39 min
The Whistleblower who captured the nation — and the man who unmasked her as a fraud
Kathy Jackson was once heralded as a revolutionary who shone a bright spotlight on union corruption but she too was later found to be a fraudster who had misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars in union members' money. So who was the man responsible for blowing the whistle on her? Reporter Annika Blau investigates.
29 min
The Whistleblower who helped catch a paedophile politican
After an electoral officer helped police arrest a popular state minister, her life began to unravel.
32 min
INTRODUCING — 'The Whistleblowers', a new series from Background Briefing
In this 6-part series presented by Adele Ferguson, the Background Briefing team brings you the untold stories of ordinary Australians who helped bring some of Australia’s biggest and dirtiest scandals to light.
2 min
Can a rape trial be a positive experience?
Two years ago, Meagan complained to the ABC that our coverage of sexual assault cases was too negative, and it didn't reflect her personal experience.
33 min
03 | The outland or the cage
Just after midnight, Marty woke to find three young intruders in his bedroom. Then they started talking to him. He'd now become one of the hundreds of victims of crime in Mount Isa each year. This is the final episode looking at the youth justice system in Queensland — the state with the highest number of children behind bars.
34 min
02 | The outland or the cage
"Locked down for hours and hours": Jaxon explains what life is like inside a juvenile detention centre.
31 min
01 | The outland or the cage
Jaxon stole a car at age 10. Six years later, the Mount Isa teen has a decision to make.
33 min
'What's your p(doom)?' Why AI experts are calculating our doomsday odds
A growing number of AI industry insiders are guessing at the probability that Artificial Intelligence will lead to a catastrophic scenario for humanity, and calculating their ‘p(doom)’.
40 min
The little-known religious code ruling many major public hospitals
Did you know that some of Australia’s largest public hospitals are run according to a religious code of ethics?
39 min
Fashion victims
Kym Ellery, the founder of collapsed Australian fashion label Ellery Land, tells reporter Rachael Brown that business collapses are sometimes the price of working in the fashion industry.
38 min
Inside the battle to keep cocaine out of Australia
Reporters Ty King and Mayeta Clark are granted a behind-the-scenes look at the dangerous game of cat and mouse played by cops and cartels.
30 min
False Witness
Reporter Heidi Davoren provides an extraordinary insight into a parenting dispute, where a mother and father come together after a Family Court psychologist harmed their family.
37 min
Grim Prospects | 02
In part two of the investigation into the deaths of Ray and Jennie Kehlet, reporters Rebecca Trigger and Ash Davis examine the story of the last man to see the couple alive.And they speak to a police insider who raised concerns about the direction of the investigation back in 2015.
37 min
Grim Prospects | 01
Two campers go missing while prospecting for gold in the Western Australian outback.
41 min

Background Briefing

Episodes

An aspiring doctor from the 'burbs takes on medical schools for elitism

How an ADHD diagnosis was the start of Natalia’s life unravelling

The whistleblowers who stared down threats from Australia's biggest bank

The whistleblower who believed his employer was covering up an oil spill

The whistleblower who exposed Australia’s secretive offshore detention system

The Whistleblower who brought down Australia's Dr Death

The Whistleblower who captured the nation — and the man who unmasked her as a fraud

The Whistleblower who helped catch a paedophile politican

INTRODUCING — 'The Whistleblowers', a new series from Background Briefing

Can a rape trial be a positive experience?

03 | The outland or the cage

02 | The outland or the cage

01 | The outland or the cage

'What's your p(doom)?' Why AI experts are calculating our doomsday odds

The little-known religious code ruling many major public hospitals

Fashion victims

Inside the battle to keep cocaine out of Australia

False Witness

Grim Prospects | 02

Grim Prospects | 01

30 with Guyon Espiner

Nine To Noon

Sunday Morning

The Detail

RNZ News

The Opinions

The Front Page

Morning Report

Episodes

An aspiring doctor from the 'burbs takes on medical schools for elitism

How an ADHD diagnosis was the start of Natalia’s life unravelling

The whistleblowers who stared down threats from Australia's biggest bank

The whistleblower who believed his employer was covering up an oil spill

The whistleblower who exposed Australia’s secretive offshore detention system

The Whistleblower who brought down Australia's Dr Death

The Whistleblower who captured the nation — and the man who unmasked her as a fraud

The Whistleblower who helped catch a paedophile politican

INTRODUCING — 'The Whistleblowers', a new series from Background Briefing

Can a rape trial be a positive experience?

03 | The outland or the cage

02 | The outland or the cage

01 | The outland or the cage

'What's your p(doom)?' Why AI experts are calculating our doomsday odds

The little-known religious code ruling many major public hospitals

Fashion victims

Inside the battle to keep cocaine out of Australia

False Witness

Grim Prospects | 02

Grim Prospects | 01

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