

Background Briefing
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Background Briefing tells true stories not everyone will want you to hear. We infuse investigative reporting with captivating drama, following the thread of an individual story only to find that it leads us to something bigger. It's the only podcast in Australia that does this week in, week out.
Hosted by Thomas Oriti.
We want to hear from you too. If you have a tip-off, please contact us at backgroundbriefing[at]abc.net.au
Hosted by Thomas Oriti.
We want to hear from you too. If you have a tip-off, please contact us at backgroundbriefing[at]abc.net.au
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 5, 2021 • 29min
Untouchable Assets | Part 3
As government investigators close in, Asiaciti realises it hasn't been keeping a close watch on some of its risky clients.In this series finale, Mario Christodoulou traverses from Swiss mountaintop chateaux to a Nigerian coup d'etat, to find out exactly what money was secretly flowing through Asiaciti's products.Then, he takes everything he's found to the man who built up the Asiaciti empire from nothing: Graeme Briggs.The ABC reached out to every person named in this story, we received no response from Du Shuanghua.

Oct 4, 2021 • 38min
Untouchable Assets | Part 2
A rock concert ticket scalper and a controversial entrepreneur turn to Asiaciti for assistance.Using products from Graeme Briggs' company, they lock away their riches on a small Pacific island nation, out of the reach of authorities.But soon, Asiaciti learns it's got its own crisis to deal with: a global media scandal that threatens the company's very existence. Mario Christodoulou reports.

Oct 3, 2021 • 42min
Untouchable Assets | Part 1
Graeme Briggs enjoys rugby, collecting Japanese fountain pens, and looking after other people's money. The problem for Graeme and his company Asiaciti is that among the many legitimate clients, some of them turn out to be corrupt politicians, fraudsters, and criminals. If that isn't bad enough, nearly two million files from his company's server have been leaked to journalists. So what's Graeme Briggs going to do now? Mario Christodoulou investigates.

Oct 2, 2021 • 40min
The scientists and shamans of psychedelic retreats
There's a landmark project underway in Melbourne to find out whether psilocybin - the hallucinogenic compound in magic mushrooms - can be used to improve end-of-life experiences.But many Australians have already turned to the underground because they're convinced psychedelics improve their mental health.Geoff Thompson investigates whether it's worth all the risks.This is a repeat of a program that aired in February 2021.

Sep 25, 2021 • 35min
The Sydney security expert helping Afghan journalists escape
Geoff Thompson follows the dangerous journeys of three Afghan journalists as they attempt to flee the Taliban. Two of them succeed with the help of an Australian man who engineers an escape route for them from his house in Sydney.

Sep 18, 2021 • 43min
'The ghosts are not silent'
An awkward Christmas lunch conversation sends reporter Sam Carmody on a search for answers about his family history. The stories he finds out about are so disturbing, they have implications not just for his family but for the entire region, where his ancestors have a statue in their honour, a highway and even a town named after them.

Aug 14, 2021 • 44min
What it's like to face terrorism charges
Since the September 11 attacks, Australia has enacted a staggering number of laws to counter the threat of terrorism. Over one hundred people have been charged with terror-related offences here, but very few have spoken to the media.One Australian man who was charged with offences that can carry up to 25 years in jail, shares his story with Mahmood Fazal for the first time.

Aug 7, 2021 • 38min
Inside the epicentre of Australia's Delta outbreak
As COVID-19 cases surged in Sydney's south-west City of Fairfield, the government enforced tougher restrictions on residents there. But as Geoff Thompson discovers, these constraints have had some devastating repercussions on one of Sydney's poorest areas and where more than half its workers are in industries which can't work from home.

Jul 31, 2021 • 42min
Reality TV's reckoning
Reality shows are a central pillar of the television industry, but for the people who appear on them, the productions can be a gateway to years of mental anguish.As Naomi Selvaratnam found out, for some reality TV stars their moment in the spotlight nearly cost them their life.

Jul 24, 2021 • 38min
A far-right troll's journey from an Ipswich bedroom to global infamy
A young Australian far-right troll was known to his online fans as 'Catboy Kami'. Thousands followed his 'edgy' videos where he targeted children online with a mix of racial stereotypes and hardcore shock tactics. With that fame and notoriety, he's become a useful recruitment tool in the expansion of one of the globe's most extreme social movements.Alex Mann reveals Catboy Kami's true identity and how this young live streamer from south east Queensland ended up in the United States mixing with the top ranks of the white power movement.