Background Briefing
by ABC Australia
Latest episode
04 The Unbreakable Cult | Mona Liar
04 The Unbreakable Cult | Mona Liar
About this podcast
Background Briefing is the ABC's flagship investigative journalism podcast. Its award-winning investigations and documentaries expose cover-ups, corruption, real-life mysteries, whistleblowing, crime, fraud and miscarriages of justice — often before these stories receive mainstream attention.
The Background Briefing podcast brings you true stories not everyone will want you to hear, told by trusted reporters across Australia.
This Australian podcast makes investigative journalism bingeable. From scams and fraud to schooling and health scandals, tech and social media digs, police exposes and various unsolved cases, each episode of the Background Briefing podcast is a must-listen.
Recent series include:
Hometown Boys exposed how a terrible crime fractured a local community around a local football club.
The Invisible Killer: a forensic investigation into unexplained deaths in aged care after a doctor makes an unusual discovery.
The Favourite: how a schoolyard secret stayed hidden for years.
Stop and Search, which uncovered the mechanics of power and police accountability.
Before and After investigated medical hype, telehealth, body image, cosmetic procedures and consumer risk.
Beef: how small feuds escalate into serious disputes.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 1,009 episodes
- 04 The Unbreakable Cult | Mona Liar · 31 minEsther Rockett and top barrister Tom Molomby team up to take on cult leader Serge Benhayon in a high-stakes court battle that puts the "con man from Goonellabah" and his esoteric…
- 03 The Unbreakable Cult | Sue me! · 33 minTo combat outside scrutiny from the "dark forces" of the media, Universal Medicine creates its own propaganda department. It's a red rag to a bull for the cult's arch critic…
- 02 The Unbreakable Cult | The recruiter · 34 minHelen doesn't know her psychologist is devoted to the cult of Universal Medicine. So when she finally seeks help for her childhood trauma, she thinks she can trust this…
- 01 The Unbreakable Cult | Hands on · 36 minWhen Serge Benhayon had a spiritual epiphany sitting on the toilet nearly 30 years ago, he says he became possessed with all the knowledge of the universe. With these secrets at…
- INTRODUCING... The Unbreakable Cult · 3 minSerge Benhayon has been leading a cult out of the Byron Bay hinterland — just south of the Queensland border — for more than a decade. He was found by a jury to be a charlatan…
- 03 Dark Menace | Operation Queenstown · 39 minBefore police raided Mark Dennis’s Sydney terrace, two tradies saw something inside that left them rattled. At the front door, a doormat told visitors to “come back with a…
- 02 Dark Menace | What Happened At Sunrise · 38 minAs the founder of a famous Cambodian orphanage rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars, like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, a Sydney barrister was quietly becoming one of the…
- 01 Dark Menace | The Chairman's Secrets · 42 minHe was a silk at Sydney's most prestigious criminal defence chambers. And the former chairman of a celebrated charity protecting vulnerable children, where some called him…
- INTRODUCING — Dark Menace · 1 minWhen police raided a terrace in Sydney's inner west, they found an iPad with a note: if this device connects to the internet, its contents will delete. That house belonged to one…
- 03 'This Bloody Machine' | The Empty Chapel · 32 minIt would be a game changer if it happened. But the challenges facing a proposed proton cancer treatment centre in Sydney are stacking up. It begs the question: why are an unpaid…
- 02 'This Bloody Machine' | The Other Plan · 32 minThe public plans for a half-a-billion-dollar Sydney development have proton therapy all over them. But they're not the only set. As Australian families continue to fly overseas…
- 01 'This Bloody Machine' | Jewel in the Crown · 31 minSue Bleasel is running out of time. Her life's work has been to bring a life-saving proton therapy machine to Australia. But with construction about to start, big questions remain.
- TRAILER – Introducing 'This Bloody Machine' · 1 minIt's a plan so good that everyone wants to believe it. Bring a life-saving cancer machine to Australia so desperate families don't have to travel overseas for treatment. But the…
- Long Read | The Girl Who Vanished From Her Bed: Part Two · 15 minA missing child, the botched police investigation case, and the aunt who never stopped asking why — this is part two of Maddison Connaughton's long read investigation into the…
- Long Read | The Girl Who Vanished From Her Bed: Part One · 21 minCould new leads solve one of Australia’s most haunting cold cases, the disappearance of Eloise Worledge? This is part one of Maddison Connaughton's investigation, a collaboration…
- Beef | Battle for the Blue Zones 2 · 35 minYou may have heard the strange story about the man who cheated death. Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and given just months to live, he moved home to die in peace on the…
- Beef | Battle for the Blue Zones · 33 minYou've heard there are these enchanted places around the world where people often live past 100, thanks to lifestyles the rest of us envy. They're called Blue Zones, and over two…
- The dark reality of Australia's AI dream factory · 33 minIt’s been billed “the Netflix of AI.” A little-known Australian startup running an online service, boasting more than 20 million users worldwide. It promises to bring your…
- 03 Tammy's Story | New Asylums · 33 minFor a while, Tammy's death looks like a one-off. Then an email lands in Kirstie Wellauer's inbox that changes everything.
- 02 Tammy's Story | Searching for Safety · 32 minTammy Shipley walked into a police station and asked to be locked up. She just wanted to be safe.
- 01 Tammy's Story | The Red Cup · 30 minTammy's under 24-hour surveillance. Her family can't reach her. Then she starts drinking water from a red cup — and nobody understands what they're watching until it's too late.
- Introducing | Tammy's Story · 1 minTammy Shipley asked to be arrested so she could feel safe. After she was placed under 24-hour surveillance, something terrible took place. A new three-part series by Kirstie…
- 03 In Search of the Missing Artist | The Name · 33 minJean Paul Mangin is a nom de plume, an alias, a fake name. But no one seems to know that. So why would a commercial gallery – a family-run business – go to such extreme lengths…
- 02 In Search of the Missing Artist | The Plastic · 34 minThe only clue to Jean Paul Mangin's true identity is hiding in his art. Unlike everything else about the elusive French sculptor, the material he works with is right there for…
- 01 In Search of the Missing Artist | The Sculptor · 40 minThe sales pitch goes that Jean Paul Mangin is a reclusive Parisian sculptor whose works are internationally acclaimed. His pieces sell quickly through one particular Australian…
- Introducing | In Search of the Missing Artist · 2 minFor years, art buyers have been told that this man is an internationally acclaimed, intensely private Parisian sculptor. His bold, brightly coloured plastic works are available…
- 03 The Road to Bondi | Deepfake · 35 minHow did a wounded Bondi survivor become the face of a global deepfake conspiracy in less than 24 hours? Arsen Ostrovsky was celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach when the first…
- 02 The Road to Bondi | A Test of Character · 33 minThis man fled Iran after being imprisoned and tortured for protesting the regime. Known only as AB, he came to Australia hoping to start again — and, in many ways, he did. He…
- 01 The Road to Bondi | Father and Son · 42 minYou think you know the story. You know how it ended. But you don’t know how it began. In the first episode of The Road to Bondi, reporter Josh Robertson traces the decades-long…
- TRAILER — Introducing The Road to Bondi · 2 minIn an ordinary Australian suburb, a father and son are secretly planning something terrible. One fateful summer evening, their path brings them crashing into the lives of…
- 06 Hometown Boys | Not the only one · 39 minInsiders from the Harrow-Balmoral football club decide to break the code of silence. For Elise, it’s time to rebuild her life. But her story inspires other women to emerge with…
- 05 Hometown Boys | 'Luke, Maybe' · 31 minA key witness submits a startling new statement that topples the guilty verdict and forces a retrial. This time, the men accused will not give evidence. But Lisa Hutchins, the…
- 04 Hometown Boys | The Trial · 27 minAs the criminal trial unfolds, witnesses from Balmoral waver on the stand, and the judge is "taken aback". The courtroom is heaving with supporters of the accused but the verdict…
- 03 Hometown Boys | The 'Mayoress of Balmoral' · 32 minA respected bush nurse with close ties to the accused becomes a key police witness. As the investigation quietly gathers pace, locals start to choose sides and the family of the…
- 02 Hometown Boys | In the caravan · 33 minA 21st birthday party becomes a crime scene, but some locals carry on like nothing’s happened.
- 01 Hometown Boys | Welcome to Balmoral · 30 minIn this one-street town of 280 residents, there’s an unspoken code: don’t rock the boat, or risk being cast out. Balmoral is a small Victorian town built on tradition, loyalty…
- TRAILER — Introducing Hometown Boys · 2 minWhen a young woman accuses a talented local footballer and his friend of rape, the town reveals where its true loyalties lie. The beating heart of Balmoral, a tiny Victorian town…
- Long Read | How social media algorithms decide who you are · 24 minThis week, Prianka Srinivasan arms herself with a burner phone and a fake name, and sets out to learn how Instagram’s algorithm really works.
- 04 Before and After | Behind the sunscreen · 35 minWhen the founder of a skincare company discovers his zinc sunscreen product potentially isn't achieving the protection it's supposed to, it doesn't take long before he realises…
- 03 Before and After | Under your skin · 37 minThe injectable industry is booming, but behind the glossy ads and plump looks, some patients are discovering filler that doesn’t dissolve. This week reporter Gina McKeon reveals…
- 02 Before and After | For a couple extra inches · 33 minFor young men struggling with body image, social media offers a radical solution: get taller by breaking your legs. As the cosmetic limb-lengthening industry booms worldwide…
- 01 Before and After | The cost of keeping your hair · 37 minHair loss ads are everywhere. Telehealth clinics with thousands of five-star reviews promise fast consults and discreet delivery to your doorstep. But what happens when the…
- Introducing... Before and After · 1 minBefore and After is a new series by Background Briefing that exposes how medical hype spreads online, who profits, and who pays.
- The secret teacher blacklist · 40 minKim saw a teacher’s aide laughing at a video of a vulnerable student and reported it to the principal. She had no idea it would come to define the next seven years of her life.
- 05 The Favourite - A Day in Court · 32 minAfter years of manipulation, Alliyah is determined to see justice done. When Kellie appears in the dock, what will she say? And how will the judge respond?
- 04 The Favourite | Full Disclosure · 35 minAlliyah steps into a police station on the outskirts of Brisbane, and says: “I want to report a crime.” After keeping the so-called relationship with Kellie secret for almost a…
- 03 The Favourite | Alliyah's choice · 40 minA new job and a surprise encounter show Alliyah that another way is possible. Will they manage to slip out of Kellie's control?
- 02 The Favourite | A marriage proposal · 35 minWhen the principal discovers Alliyah and their teacher Kellie are exchanging secret messages outside class, Kellie is warned — but not fired. Then, on the last day of Alliyah’s…
- 01 The Favourite | Secrets after school · 31 min12-year-old Alliyah’s clowning around in science class, testing the waters to see how the new teacher will respond. An unusual bond grows between them — and what starts with a…
- Introducing... The Favourite · 2 minShe's every student’s favourite teacher — warm, funny, the kind who bends the rules. But for one 12-year-old, Alliyah, her attention goes far beyond the classroom. The Favourite…
