Background Briefing

Environmental offsets are supposed to compensate for ecosystems and biodiversity that are bulldozed to make way for development. But there’s mounting evidence the policy is being subverted, as governments approve controversial offsets across Australia. Di Martin investigates.

On the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef, Abbot Point is set to become one of the world’s biggest coal ports. But the yet-to-be-developed coal mines it's supposed to service look increasingly unviable and the environmental risks are enormous. Jess Hill investigates.

Traumatised police are shunned, isolated and put under secret surveillance. They lose their careers, friendships and often their homes, marriages and children, and a growing number are taking their own lives. William Verity investigates the silence around police, post traumatic stress and suicide.

Claims that Australia spied on East Timorese negotiators during oil and gas treaty talks are at the centre of a legal row that could throw the treaty into doubt. Did Australia seek and gain an unfair advantage for itself and the petroleum company Woodside? Hagar Cohen investigates.

Fuel tankers are among the most dangerous vehicles on the road, carrying loads that make them vulnerable to roll-over and explosion. Two recent, fatal accidents involved tanker rollovers, but recommended safety measures specifically designed to reduce rollovers haven’t been followed through.

Research by two of Australia’s leading nutritionists has found no connection between our consumption of added sugar in foods & drinks and our obesity crisis. The food & drink industry uses the research to campaign against a sugar tax. But persistent criticism of the findings has forced Sydney University to open an inquiry. Wendy Carlisle investigates. UPDATE: Soft Drink study ignores fast-...

Queensland’s Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act—VLAD—is designed to eradicate criminal bikie gangs but its many critics say the new law will sweep up innocent people as well and is already being used to harass.

An aggressive mosquito that’s spread a crippling virus through Asia is now being found at Australia’s border. The chikungunya virus is already being brought home by Australian tourists, and public health authorities are worried about a major outbreak if the mosquito, known as the ‘barbecue stopper’, becomes established. Ian Townsend investigates. Originally broadcast on 21 July 2013.

Australian businessmen Matthew Joyce and Marcus Lee have now been freed after a nightmare four-year battle over corruption charges in Dubai. Background Briefing's Wendy Carlisle reported how the Gold Coast developer Sunland Group tried and then failed to frame the pair in the Dubai and Australian courts. Originally broadcast on 13 October 2013.

It is the institution in which the vast majority of child sexual abuse occurs but the victims won’t be able to tell their stories at the upcoming royal commission. Children who are sexually abused by family members suffer the ultimate betrayal of trust, with nowhere else to go and no-one else to turn to. Sarah Dingle investigates their long search for justice. Originally broadcast on 11 August 201...

Australian GPs reveal why they are risking their reputations by diagnosing patients with Lyme disease—from Borrelia bacteria that are not even supposed to be in Australia. The treatment, high-dose antibiotics, is alarming health authorities and the nation’s chief medical officer has formed an advisory committee to look into this controversial disease. Di Martin investigates. Originally broadcast 1...

As the competition watchdog looks into new allegations of the abuse of market power by Coles and Woolworths, food suppliers speak out about what they say is predatory behaviour, even blackmailing by the ‘big two’. Hagar Cohen investigates. Originally broadcast on 24 March 2013.

More than a thousand asylum seekers have died trying to get to Australia by boat. But how many of them could have been saved? Australia’s search and rescue authorities stand accused of unnecessary delays, disregarding distress calls and passing responsibility to Indonesia, which is not equipped to carry out rescue operations. Jess Hill investigates. Originally broadcast on 1 September 2013.

A class action in the Supreme Court will look at whether NSW police wrongfully arrested and detained a number of teens due to a long standing glitch in the NSW Police computer system. Wendy Carlisle investigates.

Two of Australia’s world heritage wonders—the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics—are at risk of being declared ‘in danger’. Both are threatened by climate and development pressures and as Sarah Dingle discovers, the Wet Tropics is suffering from years of government neglect. Senate calls on the Abbott Government to act on Wet Tropics - Press release from Greens Senator Larissa Waters

When are we too old to drive safely? Ann Arnold looks at the evidence for compulsory testing and the social impact of forcing older drivers off the road.

With the High Court set to decide whether the ACT’s same-sex marriage laws can survive, Di Martin follows the highs and lows for a group of same-sex couples as they wait to see if their plans to marry in Canberra can go ahead.

As the demand for foster care grows, the number of carers for children who have been removed from their families is in decline.

The NSW Parliament is split along pro-choice and pro-life lines over a law that would be the first in Australia to give legal rights to a foetus.

Once the domain of bad boys, bikies and sailors, tattoos are now part of mainstream fashion. Nearly three million Australians have been ‘inked’ and with the surge in popularity concerns are being raised about the toxicity of some of the inks used, as well as a lack of health regulations.

Among the thousands of foreign fighters in Syria, more than a hundred British nationals are thought to have joined armed opposition groups. Who are these men, why they have gone to fight and what will they do when they return? Jenny Cuffe investigates.

A project to dig minerals from the seabed off Papua New Guinea could signal a new era of mining in the world’s most remote and least understood environment, the deep sea. Mining companies are excited, ecologists are worried, and struggling island nations are watching with interest. Ann Arnold investigates.

A project to dig minerals from the seabed off Papua New Guinea could signal a new era of mining in the world’s most remote and least understood environment, the deep sea. Mining companies are excited, ecologists are worried, and struggling island nations are watching with interest. Ann Arnold investigates.