Shows / Background Briefing
Background Briefing
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 Background Briefing podcast brings you true stories not everyone will want you to hear, told by trusted reporters across Australia. This Australian podcast makes investigative journalism bingeable…
Episodes
Background Briefing02 The Unbreakable Cult | The recruiter
Helen doesn't know her psychologist is devoted to the cult of Universal Medicine. So when she finally seeks help for her childhood trauma, she thinks she can…
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01 The Unbreakable Cult | Hands on
When Serge Benhayon had a spiritual epiphany sitting on the toilet nearly 30 years ago, he says he became possessed with all the knowledge of the universe…
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INTRODUCING... The Unbreakable Cult
Serge Benhayon has been leading a cult out of the Byron Bay hinterland — just south of the Queensland border — for more than a decade. He was found by a jury…
Background Briefing03 Dark Menace | Operation Queenstown
Before police raided Mark Dennis’s Sydney terrace, two tradies saw something inside that left them rattled. At the front door, a doormat told visitors to “come…
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02 Dark Menace | What Happened At Sunrise
As the founder of a famous Cambodian orphanage rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars, like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, a Sydney barrister was quietly…
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01 Dark Menace | The Chairman's Secrets
He was a silk at Sydney's most prestigious criminal defence chambers. And the former chairman of a celebrated charity protecting vulnerable children, where…
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INTRODUCING — Dark Menace
When police raided a terrace in Sydney's inner west, they found an iPad with a note: if this device connects to the internet, its contents will delete. That…
Background Briefing03 'This Bloody Machine' | The Empty Chapel
It would be a game changer if it happened. But the challenges facing a proposed proton cancer treatment centre in Sydney are stacking up. It begs the question…
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02 'This Bloody Machine' | The Other Plan
The public plans for a half-a-billion-dollar Sydney development have proton therapy all over them. But they're not the only set. As Australian families…
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01 'This Bloody Machine' | Jewel in the Crown
Sue Bleasel is running out of time. Her life's work has been to bring a life-saving proton therapy machine to Australia. But with construction about to start…
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TRAILER – Introducing 'This Bloody Machine'
It's a plan so good that everyone wants to believe it. Bring a life-saving cancer machine to Australia so desperate families don't have to travel overseas for…
Background BriefingLong Read | The Girl Who Vanished From Her Bed: Part Two
A missing child, the botched police investigation case, and the aunt who never stopped asking why — this is part two of Maddison Connaughton's long read…
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Long Read | The Girl Who Vanished From Her Bed: Part One
Could new leads solve one of Australia’s most haunting cold cases, the disappearance of Eloise Worledge? This is part one of Maddison Connaughton's…
Background BriefingBeef | Battle for the Blue Zones 2
You may have heard the strange story about the man who cheated death. Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and given just months to live, he moved home to die…
Background BriefingBeef | Battle for the Blue Zones
You've heard there are these enchanted places around the world where people often live past 100, thanks to lifestyles the rest of us envy. They're called Blue…
Background BriefingThe dark reality of Australia's AI dream factory
It’s been billed “the Netflix of AI.” A little-known Australian startup running an online service, boasting more than 20 million users worldwide. It promises…
Background Briefing03 Tammy's Story | New Asylums
For a while, Tammy's death looks like a one-off. Then an email lands in Kirstie Wellauer's inbox that changes everything.
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02 Tammy's Story | Searching for Safety
Tammy Shipley walked into a police station and asked to be locked up. She just wanted to be safe.
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01 Tammy's Story | The Red Cup
Tammy's under 24-hour surveillance. Her family can't reach her. Then she starts drinking water from a red cup — and nobody understands what they're watching…
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Introducing | Tammy's Story
Tammy Shipley asked to be arrested so she could feel safe. After she was placed under 24-hour surveillance, something terrible took place. A new three-part…
Background Briefing03 In Search of the Missing Artist | The Name
Jean Paul Mangin is a nom de plume, an alias, a fake name. But no one seems to know that. So why would a commercial gallery – a family-run business – go to…
Background Briefing02 In Search of the Missing Artist | The Plastic
The only clue to Jean Paul Mangin's true identity is hiding in his art. Unlike everything else about the elusive French sculptor, the material he works with is…
Background Briefing01 In Search of the Missing Artist | The Sculptor
The sales pitch goes that Jean Paul Mangin is a reclusive Parisian sculptor whose works are internationally acclaimed. His pieces sell quickly through one…
Background BriefingIntroducing | In Search of the Missing Artist
For years, art buyers have been told that this man is an internationally acclaimed, intensely private Parisian sculptor. His bold, brightly coloured plastic…
Background Briefing03 The Road to Bondi | Deepfake
How did a wounded Bondi survivor become the face of a global deepfake conspiracy in less than 24 hours? Arsen Ostrovsky was celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach…
Background Briefing02 The Road to Bondi | A Test of Character
This man fled Iran after being imprisoned and tortured for protesting the regime. Known only as AB, he came to Australia hoping to start again — and, in many…
Background Briefing01 The Road to Bondi | Father and Son
You think you know the story. You know how it ended. But you don’t know how it began. In the first episode of The Road to Bondi, reporter Josh Robertson traces…
Background BriefingTRAILER — Introducing The Road to Bondi
In an ordinary Australian suburb, a father and son are secretly planning something terrible. One fateful summer evening, their path brings them crashing into…
Background Briefing06 Hometown Boys | Not the only one
Insiders from the Harrow-Balmoral football club decide to break the code of silence. For Elise, it’s time to rebuild her life. But her story inspires other…
Background Briefing05 Hometown Boys | 'Luke, Maybe'
A key witness submits a startling new statement that topples the guilty verdict and forces a retrial. This time, the men accused will not give evidence. But…
Background Briefing04 Hometown Boys | The Trial
As the criminal trial unfolds, witnesses from Balmoral waver on the stand, and the judge is "taken aback". The courtroom is heaving with supporters of the…
Background Briefing03 Hometown Boys | The 'Mayoress of Balmoral'
A respected bush nurse with close ties to the accused becomes a key police witness. As the investigation quietly gathers pace, locals start to choose sides and…
Background Briefing02 Hometown Boys | In the caravan
A 21st birthday party becomes a crime scene, but some locals carry on like nothing’s happened.
Background Briefing01 Hometown Boys | Welcome to Balmoral
In this one-street town of 280 residents, there’s an unspoken code: don’t rock the boat, or risk being cast out. Balmoral is a small Victorian town built on…
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TRAILER — Introducing Hometown Boys
When a young woman accuses a talented local footballer and his friend of rape, the town reveals where its true loyalties lie. The beating heart of Balmoral, a…
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Long Read | How social media algorithms decide who you are
This week, Prianka Srinivasan arms herself with a burner phone and a fake name, and sets out to learn how Instagram’s algorithm really works.
Background Briefing04 Before and After | Behind the sunscreen
When the founder of a skincare company discovers his zinc sunscreen product potentially isn't achieving the protection it's supposed to, it doesn't take long…
Background Briefing03 Before and After | Under your skin
The injectable industry is booming, but behind the glossy ads and plump looks, some patients are discovering filler that doesn’t dissolve. This week reporter…
Background Briefing02 Before and After | For a couple extra inches
For young men struggling with body image, social media offers a radical solution: get taller by breaking your legs. As the cosmetic limb-lengthening industry…
Background Briefing01 Before and After | The cost of keeping your hair
Hair loss ads are everywhere. Telehealth clinics with thousands of five-star reviews promise fast consults and discreet delivery to your doorstep. But what…
Background BriefingIntroducing... Before and After
Before and After is a new series by Background Briefing that exposes how medical hype spreads online, who profits, and who pays.
Background BriefingThe secret teacher blacklist
Kim saw a teacher’s aide laughing at a video of a vulnerable student and reported it to the principal. She had no idea it would come to define the next seven…
Background Briefing05 The Favourite - A Day in Court
After years of manipulation, Alliyah is determined to see justice done. When Kellie appears in the dock, what will she say? And how will the judge respond?
Background Briefing04 The Favourite | Full Disclosure
Alliyah steps into a police station on the outskirts of Brisbane, and says: “I want to report a crime.” After keeping the so-called relationship with Kellie…
Background Briefing03 The Favourite | Alliyah's choice
A new job and a surprise encounter show Alliyah that another way is possible. Will they manage to slip out of Kellie's control?
Background Briefing02 The Favourite | A marriage proposal
When the principal discovers Alliyah and their teacher Kellie are exchanging secret messages outside class, Kellie is warned — but not fired. Then, on the last…
Background Briefing01 The Favourite | Secrets after school
12-year-old Alliyah’s clowning around in science class, testing the waters to see how the new teacher will respond. An unusual bond grows between them — and…
Background BriefingIntroducing... The Favourite
She's every student’s favourite teacher — warm, funny, the kind who bends the rules. But for one 12-year-old, Alliyah, her attention goes far beyond the…
Background BriefingThe invisible stuff on your blueberries
When a marine scientist starts picking up traces of pesticides in oysters, she follows a trail that leads inland — to NSW blueberries carrying a poison not…
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Long Read | The smart kids who can’t afford to succeed
Catherine Taylor investigates how money, disadvantage and resources risk holding back our brightest students.
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Long Read | The fight over your backyard
The Yes In My Backyard movement is lobbying for denser cities and more housing in places people want to work and live. The YIMBYs want these homes built…
Background BriefingPRESENTS — Criminal Psychology from All in the Mind
Fascinated by true crime? Or intrigued by what drives people to break the law? Criminal Psychology, a gripping series from All in the Mind, takes you deep…
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Long Read | The Summer of Trump
This week, Nick Bryant returns to the US for the first time in four years, finding a country that doesn't want to talk about politics, despite being in the eye…
Background BriefingDr Mo: The Beast from the Middle East
An Australian doctor sells his car and writes a will — unsure if he’ll ever make it back home. He crosses the concrete walls that surround the Gaza Strip and…
Background Briefing04 Beef | YouTube detectives uncover PlayStation guru’s shocking secret
It started with a bizarre customer-service experience and soon transformed into something darker. Outrage rippled across Youtube, spurring an army of online…
Background Briefing02 Beef | Who would shoot a wombat?
Most Aussies see wombats as an iconic native. But reporter Tynan King discovered one regional NSW town where farmers see them through a scope.
Background Briefing01 Beef | Big Rob versus just about everyone in town
Big Rob has gone from online vigilante to censured politician, starting little fights that have become big problems for his divided city.
Background BriefingINTRODUCING — Beef
A new series by Background Briefing investigates when small feuds take on a life of their own. First episode coming June 28.
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Long Read | The hunt for the next pandemic is on our shores
This week, reporter Catherine Taylor investigates a new strain of avian flu virus that's running rampant across Europe, Asia, South America and the US. How…
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Long Read | Can Wikipedia survive the rise of AI and Trump?
Rhiannon Stevens investigates the existential threats facing Wikipedia from artificial intelligence and Trump’s America.