Background Briefing

Organised criminals and heavy steroid users are importing raw powders to manufacture the drugs in their own backyard. Our two part program shows that while police trumpet their successes through rising arrest figures, users and dealers say it’s never been easier to get steroids in Australia. Reporter Alex Mann and triple j's James Purtill investigate this murky world of steroid supply and find a f...

Background Briefing investigates the stretched finances of the Anglican Church. The Newcastle Diocese is struggling to find the money to pay victims of child sexual abuse so it is using money raised from selling churches to foot the bill. Reporter David Lewis travels to a small coastal community where residents are fighting to protect their place of worship.

Sexual harassment allegations against one of Australia’s most esteemed statisticians are forcing the country's science organisations to confront the issue, head on. The science community has been quietly grappling with the issue, but until now it’s remained out of the spotlight. Hagar Cohen reveals details of the investigation into Professor Terry Speed.

An alleyway brawl that left a Melbourne schoolboy dead, has raised questions about who’s responsible for keeping international students safe in Australia. Year 12 student Jeremy Hu, was repeatedly kicked and stomped on, and he later died of his injuries. None of his friends called an ambulance that night, and instead of taking him to the hospital, they checked him into a hotel. Reporter Jane Lee t...

Binary option scams are one of the biggest financial scams in the world right now and Australians are targets. Scammers use flashy websites to trick victims into thinking they're trading on financial markets. But it's all a charade aimed at encouraging people to hand over their money. Reporter Mario Chistodoulou speaks to a former scammer and Australian victims who lost hundreds of thousands of do...

ABC has a new daily podcast. It’s called The Signal , and it's here to sort the news from the noise. To get a new episode of The Signal every morning, search for it where ever you get your podcasts, and hit subscribe.

Three years ago Marcus Rappel murdered 28-year-old Tara Costigan with an axe. The murder continues to confront our definition of domestic violence because despite a pattern of verbal aggressions, Rappel had never previously physically abused Costigan, the mother of his child. Canberra journalists Elizabeth Byrne and Susan McDonald investigate how health professionals, and law enforcement could hav...

International experts are warning that Australia is one of the most attractive destinations to launder money through real estate. Criminals from all over the world are looking at mansions in the suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney to park their cash. Reporter Connie Agius investigates the gaps in our money laundering laws and why they haven't been closed.

Each year, NSW Police officers lodge around 200 harassment complaints against their own colleagues. About a quarter of those are for sex-based harassment. But for many victims, speaking out can be just as bad as the abuse itself. Alex Mann investigates the efforts by NSW Police to stamp out sexual harassment in the workplace and the experience of officers who try to report it to their superiors.

They're responsible for half of all cancer-related deaths in Australia, but receive only a small amount of research funding. As a result, rare and less common cancers have incredibly low survival rates. Reporter David Lewis follows one woman's desperate search for a treatment that could extend her life.

How do inmates with profoundly long sentences cope with their realities, and maintain a sense of hope and well-being as the years pass?

How do you make a podcast inside prison? Ear Hustle's Nigel Poor talks risky stories, Australian listeners and toilet humour.

Summer series: A computer monitor from St George Bank, destined for recycling in Australia, is found on a toxic e-waste dump in west Africa, being pulled apart by children as young as five.

Summer series: Top-secret documents exclusively obtained by Background Briefing reveal the extent to which Australia is assisting the United States military in conflicts worldwide. Peter Cronau reports.

Summer series: Prisons and aged care providers are sounding the alarm over the growing number of elderly convicted sex offenders and other serious criminals, and the lack of appropriate aged care facilities to take care of them their twilight years. Alex Mann reports.

Whistleblowers accuse the agency in charge of the largest pest eradication effort in Australia’s history of mismanagement.

New exclusive figures show alarming numbers of Australians are dying from fentanyl overdoses at increasing rate.

Why do bushfire arsonists commit their crimes? Alex Mann investigates.

Repeat: How Katherine Hospital turned its fortunes around and the lessons to be learned.

Can a failing school be turned around with money and community engagement? Brendan King investigates.

The technology behind cryptocurrency could revolutionise our financial system—but is this unregulated innovation worth the risk?

First-hand accounts and leaked documents reveal the extent of the Fijian government’s control over the media and public service, and why freedom of the press is at an all-time low. Hagar Cohen reports.

Why did Chinese police enter Fiji and deport 77 of their own citizens? Hagar Cohen investigates.

A mafia member who turned informant warns that the ‘ndrangheta, or Calabrian mafia, have an organised presence in Australia. Connie Agius reports.