Background Briefing

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.

Claire doesn't know if her daughter's death could have been prevented - and she's not alone. Today, babies are more likely to be stillborn in Australia's regional centres than they were 20 years ago. This week on Background Briefing, Charlotte King investigates why the gap between these parts of the country and the big cities is only getting bigger.

In little over two months' time, the support payments keeping millions of Australians afloat through the pandemic are due to end.Banks' deferrals on mortgage payments are meant to wind up soon after too.This week on Background Briefing, Geoff Thompson shows how the country is driving towards an economic cliff.

As she entered one of Australia's largest male prisons, Mara Ellis was strip-searched by four prison guards: two men and two women.She says it was the last time the justice system acknowledged she is a woman before Mara was locked away in solitary confinement.This week on Background Briefing, Meghna Bali investigates what happens to women in men's prisons.

Could Australia's Black Lives Matter movement bring about real world change? Jared Goyette, Bridget Brennan and Allan Clarke trace how the brutal death of George Floyd has resonated with so many, from the scorched streets of Minneapolis to downtown Melbourne.

Uncle Justin has waited a long time for an acknowledgement that he has survived institutional child sexual abuse.When the National Redress Scheme was established, he was offered help from a private legal firm.But what Uncle Justin and other survivors hadn't realised, Jeremy Story Carter discovered, was their trauma had become a honeypot.

Since Australia's coronavirus shutdown began, there's been a spike in reports of racist attacks, where people are targeted because they just happen to look Asian.Intelligence agencies are now warning that far right groups are exploiting the pandemic to further their own radical agendas.For some, that involves fomenting unrest to bring about a "race war".Mario Christodoulou investigates.

Advocates of raw milk say its safe for people to drink the stuff, so long as dairies take proper precautions.But Australian health authorities are wary about re-opening the trade, especially since the death of a toddler was linked to drinking unpasteurised milk. Kathryn Gregory investigates that link and asks whether there could be a valid case to re-open the raw milk trade.

For children in Port Pirie there is no 10 second rule. When you grow up in a “lead town” eating off the floor is forbidden, and could be harmful to your health. But when a mum follows all the strict and unusual rules of the town to keep her son safe and his blood lead still continues to rise, she asks: what am I doing wrong?Can a town coexist with a lead smelter? Paul Culliver investigates