Background Briefing

In one dark Byron Bay back alley, a series of baton strikes changes a teenager's life.

Protesters say they're being ordered to read false confessions and their activities are under surveillance.

It's one of the most effective forms of contraception available.

AFL superstars like Cyril Rioli and Michael Long forged their talents there.

Note: this episode was originally broadcast in July 2021 and it contains explicit language and confronting themes.

When Jordan wanted to treat his insomnia, he turned to an experimental therapy: medicinal cannabis.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following program contains references to a deceased Indigenous Australian.

From piles of rubbish to leaking sewers, rats, and gas leaks.

There's a violent territorial dispute between rival gangs in Sydney’s west.

When protesters disrupted one of Australia’s largest container facilities, the NSW Government responded with new broad-sweeping laws that carried 2 year jail terms.

The mysterious discovery of the Alsehli sisters, who were found dead in a Sydney flat after more than a month, has shocked Australians. But who are they? What were they doing here? And most chillingly - why are they dead? Reporters Rachael Brown and Mahmood Fazal investigate. Please note this story contains disturbing themes including discussions of suicide. Listen for free on your mobile device o...

A special investigation by Rachael Brown and Mahmood Fazal into the shocking deaths of two women in Sydney's inner west.

When the pandemic pushed university assessments out of the exam room and into the bedroom, many Australian students turned to powerful new allies to help them get good grades. Reporter Mario Christodoulou investigates.

There's a big nature tourism project about to take off in New South Wales, but many locals aren't all that happy about it. Reporter Mayeta Clark investigates why.

Victoria is marketed as an exciting culinary destination. But organic farmers say they're facing draconian rules that prevent consumers from accessing the ethical food they want. Reporter Mahmood Fazal investigates.

Worried about racial inequities in the health system, First Nations women are fighting for culturally safe birth options. But as Quandamooka woman Carly Williams finds out, not everyone in the mainstream healthcare service is on board.

Being one of Australia’s cutest animals hasn’t prevented its slide towards extinction.  Reporter Rachael Brown investigates what is being done to try to curb the koala's declining population.

Thousands of Australians are finding they still feel ill several months after contracting coronavirus. They're experiencing a new and little understood condition called long COVID. As Geoff Thompson discovered, the demand for medical treatment is now overwhelming.

Precious artefacts looted from Cambodia and Thailand made their way into prominent collections here in Australia, and around the world. In the second and final episode of his investigation, Mario Christodoulou investigates why it’s taking so long for these precious works to be returned to their rightful home.

Many ancient Cambodian artefacts arrived in Australia during the 1960s and 1970s, when the south east Asian country was in turmoil. Mario Christodoulou investigates how some had come from looted historic sites or passed through the hands of suspected smugglers, and now feature in major galleries around the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged schools across the country like never before, but it's also shone a light on existing issues within the profession such as a chronic shortage of specialised teachers and growing workload stress. Reporter Mayeta Clark follows teachers in public schools in NSW as they struggle to cover classes and keep their students engaged.

Many states have repealed tough laws that put sex workers at risk of prosecution. But so far, Queensland hasn't followed suit. Now, the state government is looking at introducing new safeguards to protect those in the industry. Reporter Mahmood Fazal investigates.

IVF has grown into a huge industry, with companies competing to provide fertility services. But in the quest to innovate and gain an edge, one Australian company may have taken things too far. Now hundreds of those who used a controversial new genetic test are taking legal action Reporter Rachael Brown investigates.

Reporter Geoff Thompson followed several residents of Lismore as they tried to recover from February's monster flood in Northern NSW. But before they'd finished the clean-up, the waters started to rise again.

An almost unimaginable crime: two women accused of poisoning their own children at the same Sydney hospital. Both were charged and spent years separated from their families, but both say they were falsely accused. Reporter Hannah Ryan investigates whether the system has failed these families.