Background Briefing

The shocking rape of a two-year-old girl in the Northern Territory this February exposed a child protection system in crisis.

Some caseworkers say the threshold for removing a child from their family is too high and that authorities should intervene earlier.

But a relative of the toddler is sceptical, arguing the solution is to tackle the underlying causes of violence in the community. Jane Bardon investigates.

There is an ethical dilemma confronting the national redress scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse. Should applicants who have themselves committed serious crimes receive financial assistance?

The federal, state, and territory governments believe anyone who has spent five or more years in jail should be subjected to a special assessment process. But critics argue that childhood trauma often sets victims on a dangerous path.

Samantha Donovan investigates.

Asbestos continues to kill more people than car accidents every year in Australia. Once seen as a wondrous building material it remains in millions of homes in neighbourhoods around the country.

Reporter Mario Christodoulou investigates Australia’s asbestos legacy and talks to the next generation of unwitting victims.

Thousands of patients may have been put at risk of exposure to tampered drugs by the Queensland Ambulance Service.

One 74-year-old grandmother from Brisbane, Barbara Cook, believes paramedics unwittingly gave her a contaminated IV injection. She also believes that she contracted a life-threatening bacterial infection as a result.

With secret recordings, leaked documents and whistle-blower testimony Hagar Cohen uncovers how the service botched an investigation into one of its biggest-ever drug tampering scandals.

Last week, Australian journalism lost one of its greats.

Liz Jackson, who won multiple Walkley awards, is perhaps best known for her work at Four Corners, but she cut her teeth in investigative journalism here at Background Briefing.

In 1992, Liz travelled to Somalia to document the violence severely hampering aid efforts and costing hundreds of lives daily.

In this podcast special, you’ll hear what made Liz always so great at her job: her fearless questioning, her beautifully precise storytelling, and her overwhelming interest in - and care for - other people.