

ABC Rewind
ABC listen
The History Listen is now ABC Rewind, the home of gripping narrative history series. Dive into true stories told by the people who lived through them.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 29, 2025 • 37min
05 Conspiracy? Judgement Day
After Patrick Stevedores sacks its 1,400 maritime union workers the waterfront dispute turns into a courtroom drama as the legal teams battle it out in the Federal Court before heading all the way to the High Court.

Mar 22, 2025 • 39min
04 Conspiracy? Who Let the Dogs Out
Josh Bornstein, a lawyer known for representing the MUA during the 1998 waterfront dispute, dives into the chaos of a dramatic night when balaclava-clad guards and dogs were sent to lock out workers. He shares gripping stories of workers' resistance, courtroom drama, and corporate conspiracies that marred this pivotal labor moment in Australia. The tension escalates amidst emotional family conflicts and protests at Fremantle docks, highlighting the resilience and unity among workers fighting for their rights.

Mar 14, 2025 • 36min
03 Conspiracy? The farmers come to town
After the collapse of the Dubai plan Patrick Stevedore's boss Chris Corrigan turns to Plan B, training fresh-faced farmers to work as wharfies. The MUA suspect the farmers will take their jobs and so create chaos at the gates of Patricks’ Webb Dock to stop the farmers getting through. Meanwhile the heat remains on Corrigan to fess up to his masterminding of Dubai.

Mar 8, 2025 • 33min
02 Conspiracy? Bosom Buddies
When the Opposition Labor Party breaks the news in Parliament about a secret group of ‘industrial mercenaries’ training in Dubai to take over the wharfies' jobs some big questions are asked: who exactly is behind the training operation, and is the government involved?

Mar 1, 2025 • 35min
01 Conspiracy? If it quacks like a duck
When Patrick Stevedores locks out and fires 1400 wharfies overnight on April 8, 1998, it divides the country. But behind all this is a story of high drama and political intrigue, a complex web of double dealing and high-stakes leaks. It's no secret that the Howard government wants waterfront reform but what role is it playing in Patrick owner Chris Corrigan's "revolution"?

Feb 26, 2025 • 0sec
Conspiracy? War on the waterfront
On 8 April 1998 Australians woke up to the startling news that dogs and men in balaclavas were invading the docks around the country, locking out workers. This is a story of political intrigue, of lies, double dealing, high stakes leaks and high stakes finances. And guns. It takes us from Queensland’s Ettamogah pub to the ports of Dubai, from low-rent motel rooms to the highest court in the land. And all the way to the Prime Minister.In this six-part investigation into the waterfront dispute between Patrick Stevedores and the Maritime Union of Australia, host Jan Fran talks to the all major players, and digs up new evidence revealing the depth of the government's involvement in one of the biggest industrial showdowns in Australian history.

Feb 23, 2025 • 29min
Anzac Massacre - the story of Surafend (part 3)
In the final episode of Anzac Massacre, Black Sheep podcast host William Ray delves into the unanswered questions surrounding the killings at Surafend, Southern Palestine by the Anzac Mounted Division in December 1918. What motivated this brutal act?

Feb 15, 2025 • 0sec
Anzac Massacre - the story of Surafend (part 2)
Radio New Zealand podcast Black Sheep brings us the story of the Surafend massacre of December 1918, an event described by one historian as the worst war crime ever committed by New Zealand and Australian military personnel.

Feb 8, 2025 • 29min
Anzac Massacre - the story of Surafend (part 1)
The story of the Surafend massacre of December 1918, an event described by one historian as the worst war crime ever committed by New Zealand and Australian military personnel.

Feb 1, 2025 • 29min
Inside the Big day Out: flying too close to the sun
Come on a wild ride through the extraordinary story of the Big Day Out; the festival which, for over two decades, was a summertime rite of passage for music lovers around Australia. Was it really a victim of its' own success?