Badge of Betrayal

In this episode of Badge of Betrayal , we examine some of the latest submissions made to Tasmania's police inquiry, including an account from a police officer who claims he was inside the bar at the Tasmania Police Academy in 2008. What do these new submissions reveal, and what questions do they raise about what was happening behind closed doors? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

In November 1994, Sydney woman Revelle Balmain disappeared after attending what was believed to be her final appointment of the day. More than three decades later, her disappearance remains one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries.  In Revelle Balmain: The Last Appointment, we revisit the final hours before she vanished and speak with people who knew her best  including former bo...

The public hearings into Tasmania Police misconduct begin, with confronting evidence from Laurel House and the DPP. We examine why victim-survivors may be afraid to report police, concerns around the six-month complaint limit, the so-called blue code of silence, and growing calls for a truly independent reporting and oversight system See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special episode is being released across both Our Little Edey and Badge of Betrayal , as new information intersects with both stories  the death of Eden Westbrook and wider questions surrounding Tasmania Police. A former Tasmania Police staff member shares what Sergeant Robert “Cookie” Cook told her about his time in St Helens, while another witness comes forward with fresh a...

Camille Bianchi is a journalist and podcaster who has worked on a number of acclaimed crime series, including The Nurse, Inside the Tribe and Rotten Apple. Her latest project is a little different. Introducing Back to the Wall. Serial killer Ivan Milat’s story is one of the most infamous in Australian history. So why are there still so many unanswered questions about his movements in the lea...

In this rush-release episode we delve into two submissions that were made public today in the government inquiry into Taspol.  The first is from the DPP, and the second is from Taspol. It poses some interesting questions. We also get more information from inside Taspol for 4 current serving officers, which again pose more questions.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Six months after first speaking to us anonymously, serving senior police officer “Tom” returns with new allegations about what happens inside Tasmania Police when misconduct involves senior ranks. He explains what he calls “off-book investigations” — matters allegedly handled outside normal reporting and oversight processes — and why he believes they can be used...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses allegations of sexual misconduct, workplace power imbalance and fear of reporting within policing. The allegations discussed have not been tested in court and have not been independently established. Identifying details have been deliberately withheld. A detailed anonymous email lands with Badge of Betrayal , containing serious allegations involving a servin...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains confronting and graphic descriptions of alleged child sexual abuse and sexual assault, including allegations involving a child, grooming, coercion and abuse by a person in a position of authority. It also contains discussion of suicide and police misconduct. Some listeners may find this episode extremely distressing. Please take care while listening and skip...

The story of Paul Reynolds reaches into another Tasmanian case — the death of 15-year-old Eden Westbrook. In this special crossover episode with Our Little Edey , Eden’s parents Jason and Amanda explain why they want to know exactly what Reynolds wrote, said and communicated while involved with Eden’s case and the coronial process. We also examine police dispatch records from St...

A new witness comes forward. As Tasmania's Parliamentary Inquiry into police misconduct officially begins, we examine what it could mean for Badge of Betrayal, the questions it will investigate, and why parliamentary privilege may encourage more people to finally speak. Then, an anonymous witness takes us back to Tasmania's notorious street groups of the 1970s and '80s, revealing what they knew ab...

For 15 years, Tasmania Police said the matter was investigated. Now, after months of Right to Information requests, Badge of Betrayal has obtained 61 pages of internal investigation files that have never been publicly examined in full. Inside those documents are admissions from police officers who contacted escort services, records showing one officer made 34 contacts with prostitutes over a two-m...

In this explosive episode of  Badge of Betrayal , a former Tasmania Police officer who worked alongside Reynolds speaks publicly about the culture they witnessed firsthand. They describe allegations of bullying, intimidation and a workplace where many were too afraid to speak up. The former officer also shares why they believe Reynolds was treated differently to others, raising serious questi...

A 12-year-old girl says she reported what happened on her walk home, but years later, she still wonders why nothing seemed to happen next. And Jacqui Lambie calls for an independent body to hold Tasmania Police to account; the same question keeps coming up: who investigates the investigators?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the announcement of a Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry into police responses to allegations of officer misconduct, child sexual abuse and family violence, this episode explains what the inquiry means for victim survivors, witnesses and anyone considering making a submission. It breaks down how submissions work, what confidentiality means, and what happens if someone is asked to give evide...

In breaking news from Tasmania, parliament has announced  an I nquiry into Tasmania Police responses to allegations of officer misconduct. It will look at  The adequacy of systems, processes and oversight arrangements for responding to allegations of serious misconduct within Tasmania Police, including sexual misconduct and family violence; The culture of Tasmania Police in relation to m...

For 26 years, the official record told one story. Then a previously unseen police file surfaced. In the final days of a respected Tasmanian emergency services leader’s life, he was questioned over a serious allegation, admitted to a sexual relationship he said was consensual, and moved to retire. Two days later, he was dead. This episode examines the newly released documents, a missing brief...

Allegations involving former Tasmanian police officer Paul Reynolds. A current officer is now before the courts. And a 15-year-old child exploitation scandal where police officers were allegedly linked by phone calls. In this episode, we look at three separate matters across different time periods and ask whether they raise deeper systemic questions inside Tasmania Police. This is not about saying...

A new source comes forward with troubling memories of Paul Reynolds in a small Tasmanian town  including claims about inappropriate conversations, late-night drives, and the company he kept. As we follow that thread, it leads back to another town, another former officer, and allegations involving young women that have never been publicly tested in court. We also look at recent charges involvi...

A serious concern was raised at a school. Students needed to be protected. The person accused needed a fair chance to respond. And the institution needed a process strong enough to withstand scrutiny. In this episode, we examine a publicly available 2006 Tasmanian Industrial Commission decision involving St Patrick’s College. It is not about Paul Reynolds, and it does not prove anything abou...

In this episode, we go back to Tasmania in 2008, when serious allegations about Paul Reynolds were first put in writing inside Tasmania Police. A newly released RTI reveals three key pieces of correspondence about what was allegedly said in a police bar allegations that Reynolds was a paedophile. But the documents also raise questions about what happened next, and what appears not to have happened...

In this episode of  Badge of Betrayal , we examine two deeply sensitive stories that raise the same uncomfortable question: what happens when the person accused is part of the system itself? The episode begins with allegations involving “John”, a former police officer who later moved into another public-facing role within the Tasmanian system. Through internal documents, witness s...

***Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening. In this episode of  Badge of Betrayal , we speak with Tasmania’s Independent Regulator, Louise Coe, about a serious gap in the state’s child safety oversight syste...

***Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening. For years, it was brushed aside as banter. Something uncomfortable, but never fully spoken about. In this episode, another former student comes forward to describe the influence Re...

A Tasmanian parliamentary hearing has exposed a shocking child safety loophole: for months, Tasmania Police were effectively outside the state’s reportable conduct scheme. In this episode, we unpack the committee bombshell, what the regulator revealed, and why the failure to report police matters is causing alarm. We also share new listener information and a fresh lead connected to Paul Reyn...