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Background Briefing

ByABC listen
119 episodes

Podcast Summary

Dive deep into the captivating world of "Background Briefing," where real stories unravel the hidden truths that often go untold. Hosted by the insightful journalist Annie Louey, this podcast offers a unique lens on pressing issues, from the intricate web of mental, physical, and emotional well-being to the unseen forces shaping your newsfeed. With a commitment to investigative storytelling, "Background Briefing" features a diverse lineup of well-known guests, including experts and thought leaders who bring their unique perspectives to the forefront. Recent episodes have tackled topics like the psychological impacts of social media, the complexities of healthcare systems, and the societal ramifications of misinformation. With each episode, listeners are invited to question the narratives they encounter and gain a richer understanding of the world around them. Tune in for a profound exploration that not only informs but also inspires critical thinking and meaningful conversations.

#1

Long Read | Australia: burnout capital, or how to get a career break right

This week, Annie Louey discovers what happens when your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing means your career is no longer worth the money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-05-30•21mins
#2

05 Agents of Influence | The letters journalists fear

There’s something shaping what appears in your newsfeed that you might not be aware of. Reporter Gina McKeon investigates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-05-24•37mins
#3

04 Agents of Influence | The powerbroker unseated by ‘traitors’

This week, reporter Annika Blau gets the inside story of a union powerbroker’s rise, and the people who risked it all to stop her Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-05-16•37mins
#4

03 Agents of Influence | The man whose name is all over Sydney

Take a stroll around Sydney and you'll find his name on many venerated buildings. But this man, a 101-year-old billionaire, has also created machines that risk ruining their users' lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-05-09•42mins
#5

02 Agents of Influence | The Billionaire's New Sport

A former oil tycoon has just bought the streaming rights to Australia’s great homegrown sports, the AFL and NRL. This week, reporter Marty Smiley investigates one of the richest men in the world - who is Len Blavatnik? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-05-02•42mins
#6

01 Agents of Influence | The PM's secret strategists

Millennial content makers can influence election outcomes from their home studios. After witnessing the power of podcasts in the US election, our political leaders are lining up to get a piece of the action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-04-17•36mins
#7

Introducing... Agents of Influence

They're not household names. But they wield serious power under the radar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-04-16•1mins
#8

Long Read | How deepfakes, nudes and teen misogyny have changed growing up

This week, Bri Lee investigates tech-assisted gendered abuse by schoolboys against their peers and teachers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-04-11•23mins

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#9

Long Read | The church’s disappearing women

Three decades after the first ordinations of women to the Anglican priesthood, women are still struggling to reach leadership — and now the congregation is changing too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-04-04•21mins
#10

05 The Invisible Killer | Did police miss a murder?

A court found that Garry Davis injected three victims with lethal doses of insulin during a 48 hour period. But what if there was another victim? Is it possible police failed to collect crucial evidence to prove someone else had also been killed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-03-13•41mins
#11

04 The Invisible Killer | Under the bed

When reporter Anne Connolly discovers that Garry Davis had a collection of strange items under his bed, it changes the course of her investigation, and raises new fears about the true scale of his crimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-03-04•35mins
#12

03 The Invisible Killer | Reasonable Doubt

Garry Davis has now been convicted of murdering two residents at SummitCare and attempting to murder a third. But all the evidence against him is circumstantial. Is it possible someone else could have been responsible for the insulin injections? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-02-21•42mins
#13

02 The Invisible Killer | 'Who did this?'

Someone injected three residents with lethal doses of insulin at an aged care facility in Newcastle. Now, the race is on to catch the killer. Will the police find the clues they need to catch the culprit before any more deaths occur? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-02-14•35mins
#14

01 The Invisible Killer | Doctor’s discovery

When residents start falling ill at a nursing home in Newcastle, the workers don't think much of it. After all, people die in aged care all the time. But then, one eagle-eyed doctor finds something that makes him suspect a killer is on the loose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-02-14•33mins
#15

More to the story... Kathy Jackson’s missing millions

It looked like the Health Services Union might finally be returned millions of dollars owed by the whistleblower turned convicted fraudster, Kathy Jackson. Then, the money went missing again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-12-29•15mins
#16

More to the story... Who controls the Murdoch empire?

Lachlan Murdoch is caught in an ongoing court battle with his siblings to maintain control of the family empire when Rupert Murdoch dies. Now there’s been a judgement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-12-29•12mins
#17

More to the story... Meeting your mum as an adult

After Background Briefing's investigation, Anna was flooded with messages from Korean adoptees all over the world. The overwhelming response prompted her to embark on an emotional journey to South Korea, where she arranged to meet her birth mother for the first time. However, more surprises lay ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-12-29•12mins
#18

More to the story... Sex, lies and 'big coconut balls'

When Background Briefing last investigated testosterone salesman Michael Farrelly, he was nowhere to be found. Then, a few weeks ago, came a surprising phone call. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-12-16•13mins
#19

More to the Story... My friend, the cop killer

Police and politicians labelled the Wieambilla killers evil terrorists. But what really went on inside their heads? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-12-16•15mins
#20

More to the story... Inside a scam factory

Scam baiter Jim Browning recently helped bring down a multinational scam syndicate in Dubai. His next target is a scam with potential links to the Russian mafia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-12-16•9mins
#21

03 Births, Deaths, and Marriages | ‘Horror stories’ from inside the funeral industry

Ani Valatava went to see her sister’s body at a funeral home in suburban Sydney. She could never have prepared for what she saw next. Reporter Gina McKeon investigates what goes on behind the scenes of Australia’s funeral industry, revealing ‘horror stories’ and the families left to pick up the pieces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-12-06•39mins
#22

02 Births, Deaths and Marriages | Facebook's sperm marketplace

When a couple are quoted $13,000 to access a sperm donor through a clinic, they decide to take matters into their own hands. On Facebook, they find a thriving sperm exchange, where they hope they'll have more control over the process. But as reporter Annika Blau discovers, there are pitfalls they didn’t foresee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-11-29•38mins
#23

01 Births, Deaths and Marriages | The Wedding Celebrant

When Becc and Nathan decided to get married, they wanted something intimate — a small ceremony at home with just their closest friends and family. There was just one problem — the celebrant wasn't who he appeared to be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-11-22•30mins

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#24

The inconvenient patients

Michelle went to hospital on three occasions, complaining of searing chest pains. She was told to go home and seek therapy for her "anxiety issues". It would not be until months later that she was diagnosed with pericarditis — doctors believe it was caused by the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. She's now one of nearly two thousand people fighting a class action against senior government figures, claiming they were victims of negligence during Australia’s pandemic response. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-11-15•38mins
#25

The cop accused of sharing a suspect's explicit video

After a police squad stages a tense siege against a dangerous fugitive, a phone is recovered from the crime scene, carrying vital information. But the detective in charge soon finds himself accused of a serious crime and loses his career over it. For years, he's tried to clear his name. In an exclusive interview with BB, he finally speaks out. His story raises serious concerns about what can go wrong when police investigate police in NSW. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-11-08•35mins
#26

03 | Murdoch's Endgame

Will Lachlan Murdoch succeed in brushing his rival siblings aside to command control over the future of his family’s media empire? Or could we be looking at the end of the century-old family dynasty that runs the world's most powerful conservative news organisation? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-10-25•33mins
#27

02 | Murdoch's Endgame

For much of his youth, Lachlan Murdoch seemed ambivalent about being next in line to control the family’s global media empire. So why is his father Rupert now fighting a high stakes battle against three of his other children to ensure Lachlan becomes his successor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-10-18•35mins
#28

01 | Murdoch's Endgame

Are we looking at the end of the Murdoch family's global media empire? That's the question journalists Paddy Manning and Alex Mann investigate in this special three-part series. This week, they take you inside the family's inner sanctum and examine why Lachlan, Rupert's chosen successor, may not have always been an obvious choice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-10-11•42mins
#29

Introducing... Murdoch's Endgame

The Murdoch family is locked in a secret court battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-10-09•2mins
#30

Has dot art spread too far?

Dots are so strongly associated with traditional Aboriginal visual language that Shane gets asked why he doesn’t paint them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-10-04•37mins
#31

'This must be a joke': the homes for sale without owners' knowledge

In a caravan park in central NSW, a group of grey nomads were sold a Utopia - a “home base” to hang up the keys and enjoy “real estate security”. They sunk their life savings into houses in the park, with the ads promising it “couldn’t be sold out from underneath” them. But then, it was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-09-27•40mins
#32

Stop and Search | 04 The Botched Backyard Operation

There are only two witnesses to Brad Balzan's final moments: the two officers who chased him into his backyard. But their accounts of what happened don't match up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-09-20•27mins
#33

Stop and Search | 03 The Numbers Game

As the investigation into Bradley Balzan's death continues, serious questions are raised about how the country’s largest police force uses its search powers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-09-13•36mins
#34

Stop and Search | 02 Last Moments Before Gunshots

Brad Balzan is shot dead in his own backyard after a police encounter goes wrong. In episode two of Stop and Search, a new mini-series by Background Briefing, reporter Paul Farrell asks why was he running away, and why did the officers chase him down? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-09-06•28mins
#35

Stop and Search | 01 Where's Brad?

A 20-year-old is chased by four plain-clothes police officers into his western Sydney backyard. But he hasn't committed a crime. He hasn't even done anything wrong. He's shot twice, and then dies. In a special miniseries by Background Briefing, the final moments that led to this tragic incident are pieced together. The reporter is Paul Farrell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-08-30•40mins
#36

Dancing with Bulls

Ruby's barely a teenager, and already she's become a champion bull rider. She's also had eight concussions and multiple brain bleeds. Reporter Tynan King investigates how this extreme sport became her obsession — even as it threatens her life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-08-23•36mins
#37

Finding Jean Nassif

He left a trail of defect-riddled apartment buildings across Sydney and debts exceeding $600m to his creditors. Police have issued a warrant for his arrest. The NSW Premier has even offered to pay for his flight back to Australia. This week, Background Briefing tracks down the notorious and elusive Jean Nassif, who gives his first exclusive sit-down interview since he left Australia more than a year ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-08-16•36mins
#38

Sex, lies & 'big coconut balls' — the clinic that sold a fix to getting old

Testosterone is often marketed as a silver bullet that can help you build muscle mass, improve your energy levels and fix your sex life. But as reporters Tynan King and Maddison Connaughton discover, the reality doesn’t always live up to the hype, and the people running testosterone replacement therapy clinics don’t always have their clients' best interests at heart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-08-09•40mins
#39

The agency accused of paying bribes for babies

Anna grew up believing she was an orphan. But she later discovered she’d been lied to. And that she's one of many Australian adoptees who has been misled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-08-02•40mins
#40

Notorious 08 | My friend, the cop killer pt 2

Nathaniel Train was renowned as a distinguished principal who could deliver impressive results for disadvantaged schools. His childhood friend, reporter Josh Robertson, investigates what fateful events led to Nathaniel's transformation into a cold-blooded killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-07-26•41mins
#41

Notorious 07 | My friend, the cop killer Pt 1

One morning reporter Josh Robertson woke up, read the headlines, and made a terrible realisation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-07-19•35mins
#42

Notorious 06 | From Sydney to a Syrian prison

He is shut off from the outside world. Locked inside a makeshift jail in north Syria for the past five years, Hamza doesn’t even know who the Prime Minister is. This Australian citizen is one of thousands of suspected ISIS members imprisoned with no charges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-07-12•38mins
#43

Notorious 05 | Killers in the suburbs

Sometimes they’re armed with a chainsaw, sometimes a bottle of poison, and often they’re operating in broad daylight. So why is it so hard to catch Sydney’s tree killers? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-07-05•37mins
#44

Notorious 04 | From top gun to wanted man

Daniel Duggan’s career was spent pushing warplanes to their limits. Now the United States wants him extradited from Australia and prosecuted for conspiracy. The Australian pilot says he innocent, and believes he’s a pawn in the geopolitical contest between the US and China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-06-28•44mins
#45

Notorious 03 - Crafting a Villain

Olivia went on Australia’s biggest show to find love. She came out as Australia's "most hated" reality TV star and lost almost everything. Reporter Annika Blau investigates the making of a TV villain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-06-21•40mins
#46

Notorious 02 | The Prankster

It was the infamous Royal prank call that shattered lives. One woman took her own life; another is haunted to this day. Reporter Rachael Cusick investigates - how did a joke go so wrong? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-06-14•40mins
#47

Notorious 01 | Inside the scam factory

On the outskirts of Dubai there is a secret scam factory, where hundreds of employees smoke, eat, and pretend to be glamorous women — but one has a secret plan to shut it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-06-06•34mins
#48

Introducing... Notorious

There's a saying that every good story needs a bad guy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-06-04•2mins
#49

The whistleblowers who stared down threats from Australia's biggest bank

How the Commonwealth Bank tried to stop a royal commission by using dirt files, intimidation, threats and surveillance against whistleblowers and journalists. Reporter Adele Ferguson investigates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-05-31•39mins
#50

The whistleblower who believed his employer was covering up an oil spill

Three dead dolphins turn up in an oil spill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024-05-24•34mins

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