Background Briefing

Ronbert has sailed into bustling ports all over the world. But he can't get home or even set foot on dry land. Geoff Thompson investigates how the closure of borders has left 400,000 seafarers stuck on ships and what can be done to save them.

They helped stamp out coronavirus by relying on human intelligence.But as Rachael Brown discovered, there was a weakness in the system.Sometimes people can't be trusted.

On a spring afternoon in Brisbane's Musgrave Park, 18-year-old traditional dancer and amateur boxer Daniel Yock is drinking with his mates. But when a police van arrives, the mood suddenly changes, triggering a dramatic chain of events. Presented by Allan Clarke, Thin Black Line is a deep dive into what happened that day — according to the one eyewitness who saw it all unfold, speaking publicly for the first time in almost three decades.

Bhavesh was in trouble. His wife had just suffered three heart attacks and he couldn't afford treatment.So he turned to trusted members of his spiritual community for help.But as reporter Meghna Bali discovers, Bhavesh soon started getting death threats instead, and he found himself at the wrong end of one of Australia's biggest cryptocurrency Ponzi schemes.

The thin walls of Neville Riley’s makeshift tent do little to block the constant sound of passing cars and trains. And if he was living in a different city when COVID-19 hit Australia, chances are Neville would have been given emergency accommodation months ago. This week, Alex Mann investigates whether a historic opportunity to address homelessness in Western Australia has been lost.

Kimberly's sunny, athletic and inquisitive about everything. But for years she harboured terrible secrets about what happened to her. This week, Janine Fitzpatrick investigates why her school failed to heed credible warnings that she was in danger.

One's a former translator for Bob Hawke, the other loves Henry Lawson's poetry. So when Professor Chen Hong and Li Jianjun got caught up in a police investigation into foreign influence, many of their colleagues expressed surprise. This week, Hagar Cohen investigates why ASIO declared them to be a potential risk to Australia.

The FINCEN Files have revealed how Australian businesses are involved suspicious transactions worth billions of dollars.This week, Mario Christodoulou follows the money trail home to downtown Sydney and investigates why the system designed to stop it often fails.

An unprecedented leak of secret US Government reports has revealed how two trillion dollars of suspected dirty money snakes around the globe. This week on Background Briefing, Mario Christodoulou shows how terrorists and mobsters smuggle staggering sums of money through some of the world's largest banks - and often get away with it.This never-before-told story is the culmination of a 16-month-long investigation by 400 journalists for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

Human rights advocates describe the pursuit of the Wikileaks founder as "a threat to global media freedom".But when a magistrate decides whether he'll be extradited to the United States, how much will the public's right to know actually matter?This week on Background Briefing, Meghna Bali goes inside his quest for freedom and uncovers never-before-told stories.

In this podcast extra, Hagar Cohen interviews John Deller from the Falun Dafa Association of Australia about the allegations raised in the series.

Fledgling media organisations affiliated with Falun Gong have formed strange alliances with far right movements overseas.But what about here in Australia?This week on Background Briefing, Hagar Cohen investigates what happens when a pursuit for religious freedom comes into conflict with the transparency and independence required of Australia's fourth estate.

Secluded in dense forest, two hours north of New York City, there's a hidden headquarters for a new religious order.This otherworldly place is called Dragon Springs and it's sacred to Falun Gong devotees the world over.In this week's Background Briefing, Hagar Cohen reveals what goes on inside this gated compound, and how it's led to a strange alliance forged with the Trump Administration.

When you think of Falun Gong – you might think of quiet groups meditating or silently protesting in city parks. But a joint investigation by Background Briefing and Foreign Correspondent has uncovered accounts by former Falun Gong insiders, who reveal that in Australia and overseas, the movement has teachings that could be dangerous. Hagar Cohen reports.