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Background Briefing

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Background Briefing brings you true stories not everyone will want you to hear.

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42:10

Who is burning sacred objects in the outback?

Background Briefing ·

2019/09/21

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 worship, and their followers are setting fire to sacred artefacts in an attempt to drive away the devil. Aboriginal leaders have accused the preachers of exploiting vulnerable communities. Erin Parke from ABC Kimberley investigates.

43:49

What happens in Surf Club...

Background Briefing ·

2019/09/14

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, they’re speaking out about poor governance and money being spent on surf sports, rather than essential lifesaving equipment. Kat Gregory hears their stories.

42:42

Who watches over our judges?

Background Briefing ·

2019/09/07

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 say he’s an extraordinarily hard worker. But Street’s rulings have been successfully appealed 90 times in the past five years.Hagar Cohen investigates.

42:44

How vaping will make you free

Background Briefing ·

2019/08/31

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 getting help from libertarians all over the world who believe the right to vape represents personal freedom. Ariel Bogle gets onboard the Vape Force One bus to find out more.

42:46

Out of jail, 2 nights to find a home

Background Briefing ·

2019/08/17

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 offenders as they cycle between rural prisons, grungy roadside motels, and homelessness, in a fight to start their lives over.

43:46

The Birdman of Surry Hills

Background Briefing ·

2019/08/11

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 phone, has never had legal training, and he barely finished high school.Despite this... he’s been winning cases against the NSW Government.Mario Christodoulou reports.

45:53

Welfare to worse

Background Briefing ·

2019/08/03

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 Briefing, reporter Andy Burns investigates alleged murky behaviour inside the government's 350-million-dollar "Parents Next" program.She follows allegations that some private providers are benefitting at the expense of single mothers, some of whom are homeless.

45:56

The Pub Test: why Australia can't stop drinking

Background Briefing ·

2019/07/27

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 deal with a massive public health problem.With unprecedented access inside one of Australia’s biggest rehab facilities, Katherine Gregory takes on the grim reality of alcohol.

48:16

Under The Hammer

Background Briefing ·

2019/07/20

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 works by Brett Whiteley, Howard Arkley, Charles Blackman and more.Hagar Cohen exposes question marks over three expensive artworks... and traces their origin back to one group of high-profile dealers in Melbourne's art market.

40:38

The Golden Nugget Affair

Background Briefing ·

2019/07/14

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 controversial circumstances, allegations surfaced that the result was rigged.Reporter Alex Mann delves deep into the Camel Cup operator’s colourful past to investigate what really happened that day.

42:42

"Slaughter" house — the scandal inside ANZ

Background Briefing ·

2019/05/25

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 engulfed our third largest bank, dragging in some of the most senior people in the industry. But has everyone involved been held accountable?Mario Christodoulou investigates.

44:47

Proxy war: The outsiders campaigning for the major...

Background Briefing ·

2019/05/11

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 getting involved too.But, just how influential are they? And is there enough scrutiny on them? Katherine Gregory investigates.

40:27

From bias to brutality: How Australia is failing...

Background Briefing ·

2019/05/04

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 are on the rise since the Christchurch massacre.There have been thousands of reports of property damage as well as verbal and physical abuse arising from racial discrimination.So why have so few people been convicted? Hagar Cohen investigates.

44:28

Shitposting to the Senate: How the alt-right...

Background Briefing ·

2019/04/21

The global rise of the alt-right movement has caught the attention of politicians and police in Australia.But few could have predicted its followers would have already found a home in our federal parliament.Background Briefing has obtained leaked messages revealing Senator Fraser Anning has employed staff with connections to fascist groups.The messages also detail a secret plan to disrupt the current election campaign with racist stunts in order to help re-elect him.Alex Mann

43:56

The sexual abuse scandal nobody's talking about

Background Briefing ·

2019/04/13

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 the rise and the perpetrators are often the very people paid to care for residents.The disturbing trend has been allowed to flourish in the absence of mandatory reporting and a national register of employees.Anne Connolly investigates.

39:13

How some of Australia's biggest live music shows were...

Background Briefing ·

2019/04/06

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 also a time when many of these acts were financed by an elaborate Ponzi scheme.With an exclusive interview with the man behind the fraud, Mario Christodoulou reveals the threats and behind-the-scenes deals that fans never get to see.Welcome to the brutal and high risk world of concert promotion.

43:25

Flight of fancy: The mysterious case of the night parrot

Background Briefing ·

2019/03/30

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 by a panel of experts.Did the charismatic naturalist fake evidence of the green and yellow feathered creature?Ann Jones investigates a scandal that threatens to undermine conservation efforts.

45:53

Haircuts and hate: The rise of Australia's alt-right

Background Briefing ·

2019/03/21

On Friday 15 March 2019 an Australian man opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch, killing 50 people and wounding as many.There has been much speculation since about where he came from and what his motivations were.A manifesto published online by the shooter before the attacks bears many of the hallmarks of white supremacist rhetoric, including anti-immigrant sentiments and white genocide conspiracy theories – views that align with those of Australia’s Alt Right, which we

45:48

This meth we’re in: Businesses profit from...

Background Briefing ·

2019/03/16

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 methamphetamine in the bathroom resulting in significant contamination.Jacki and her two adult children were told by a testing company they must leave immediately because it wasn’t safe to stay in the house.But no one really knows how many of us are actually at risk from meth residues because even

42:53

Inside Australia's segregated hotel rooms

Background Briefing ·

2019/03/09

In this episode, we investigate allegations that staff at a popular Alice Springs hotel managed by Australia’s largest hotel group, Accor, have been segregating Aboriginal guests into inferior rooms.Undercover recordings and a whistleblower account reveal Aboriginal guests being charged $129 for a room with dirty sheets on the bed, and chicken bones and broken glass on the floor.Reporter Oliver Gordon meets the people falling through the cracks of a flawed complaints system.

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