Background Briefing

To build the McArthur River mine they had to move a mighty river. Then the waste dump spontaneously ignited. Belatedly the federal government realised protected species were at risk. Jane Bardon investigates how the mine got into so much trouble.

The Victorian state government wants to limit the damage following the finding that seven babies who died at a regional hospital probably shouldn't have. Will they get away with it? Rachel Carbonell investigates.

The red flags were obvious: Fazel Chegeni's mental health was in decline. Medical staff issued warnings, and even Immigration case workers advocated for his release. Ann Arnold investigates why he died in the Christmas Island detention facility.

The Matildas are our most successful football team ever and they're also the first national team to go on strike. Sarah Dingle investigates why the women decided to play hardball.

Junk science journals. Who knew? Increasing numbers of academics are being lured by 'predatory publishers' with flattery and incredible promises. Hagar Cohen investigates one of the biggest of the alleged 'predatory' publishers, and their dodgy practices.

The huge Chinese owned Shenhua coal mine on the Liverpool Plains has unified farmers and environmentalists in opposition to it. The government says if the giant open cut damages the underground water supply it will be stopped. But opponents aren't buying that Wendy Carlisle investigates.

How does a sacred site get knocked off the heritage list? Reporter Sarah Dingle investigates how ancient rock carvings on the Burrup Peninsula in WA and elsewhere have been knocked off the protection list and left vulnerable to mining companies

Young men have taken to sports betting apps like ducks to water, and this addictive and easy way of betting is fuelling a whole new group of problem gamblers, some of whom are being offered inducements to keep losing like free bets and sports tickets. Ann Arnold investigates dubious practices in the online and mobile sports betting world

An over-investment in poles and wires means that ‘network charges’ on Australian electricity bills are among the highest in the world. But by charging these high prices, have the networks created conditions that will lead them to be undercut by new solar technologies? Jess Hill investigates.

Their identities were meant to be kept secret, but now $100 DNA tests are allowing donor conceived people to track down their donor dads and half siblings. Sarah Dingle has the story.

Sandwiched between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Logan is trying to come terms with savage federal budget cuts to vital community services, which has left this disadvantaged population in more strife. Melanie Christiansen investigates.

Even before the Paris terrorist attacks, far-right groups in Europe were capitalising on anti-Muslim sentiment. In Australia there's been a surge in support for extremist organisations like the United Patriots Front and Reclaim Australia. Christine El-Khoury asks how far their hate will go.

They're the worst of the food fats, increasing the risk of heart disease and strokes. Around the western world they are banned and tightly controlled, but not in Australia. Rachel Carbonell investigates why.

An over-investment in poles and wires means that ‘network charges’ on Australian electricity bills are among the highest in the world. But by charging these high prices, have the networks created conditions that will lead them to be undercut by new solar technologies? Jess Hill investigates.

When Malcolm Turnbull dumped Labor's fibre optic NBN, he pledged it would be replaced with a faster, cheaper broadband network. But the project is already slower and more expensive than promised.

Freezing your eggs is a hot topic for women in their thirties, and more of them are doing it. But is the IVF industry giving women false hope about their real chances of having a baby? Hagar Cohen investigates.

The Matildas are our most successful football team ever and they're also the first national team to go on strike. Sarah Dingle investigates why the women decided to play hardball.

After a 15-year-old schoolboy shot dead a police accountant at Parramatta police centre in Sydney last week, there's greater demand for answers as to why some young Australian Muslims are being driven into the arms of extremists.

A divisive, sand mining mayor has clashed with locals over an unusual sand mine tender. Ann Arnold heads to the Port Stephens region, north of Newcastle, where there's a longstanding network of developers and local politicians with a strong development agenda.

Thousands of single parent families have been pushed into poverty after having their payments reduced under the welfare-to-work policies of successive governments. After 10 years the workforce participation rate for sole parents has barely improved and a former senior minister admits the policy is too harsh. Rachel Carbonell reports.

Police in Darwin have jailed nearly 1,000 Aboriginal people under new public order laws that allow detention without an arrest warrant. Following a black death in custody, the coroner said the laws should be repealed because they perpetuate and entrench indigenous disadvantage. But the NT government is refusing to budge. So have 'paperless arrests' reduced crime? Wendy Carlisle investigates.

Hundreds of Australian authors pay thousands of dollars to 'vanity publishers', often based on unfulfilled promises that their books will be widely promoted and distributed here and overseas. Hagar Cohen investigates the dubious practices of one Australian publisher as she tries to find the authors’ books in any bookstore.

Up until the 1970s, generations of Aboriginal workers in WA had their wages systematically stolen over decades, and only a small minority received reparation—just $2,000 in 2012. Sarah Dingle reveals the secret calculations that recommended a much higher sum, and government efforts to minimise payouts.

It's going to take the reinvention of 10,000 farms to improve water quality and repair the Great Barrier Reef, and there's new evidence that sediment from farms producing Australia's favourite fruit—bananas—is a growing part of the problem. The bold plan to fix the reef will cost billions but is already facing funding cuts. Gregg Borschmann investigates.

Victoria's state emblem, the Leadbeater's possum, is one of the most critically endangered animals in Australia. Fire and logging have decimated its habitat, causing Leadbeater's numbers to plummet. A fierce and secretive political debate is now raging over whether the possum and the industry can both survive, or if one has to go. Rachel Carbonell has been on the trail of the possum and the people...