Background Briefing

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

Pregnancies and births around the world have been radically changed by the spread of COVID-19. Background Briefing reporter Katherine Gregory is 39 weeks pregnant, and has been watching this news closely. In this episode, as she goes through her own pregnancy journey, she uncovers how maternal health experts are trying to prevent any long-lasting impacts on new mothers and their babies.This is the final episode of our three-part series on how Australia is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing measures have robbed many charities of the human connection so crucial to their already vulnerable clients.But, as our reporter Geoff Thompson finds out, one charity has radically transformed its service, and still feeds almost eight thousand people a week. This is part two of a three part series into how Australia is coping with COVID-19 Pandemic.

Australian prison operators say they're well equipped to deal with a possible COVID-19 outbreak inside their walls. But inmates claim unhygienic conditions are making them fear for their lives.Now, some are being released early to protect them from getting the virus. Reporter Meghna Bali speaks to one prisoner about her early release. This is part one of a three part series into how Australia is coping with COVID-19 Pandemic.