Background Briefing

Tough new tobacco laws proposed for Europe have triggered a lobbying war and allegations of corruption that have rocked the European Commission, while in Britain the government is accused of caving in to the tobacco lobby over plain cigarette packaging. Jane Deith investigates.

An aggressive mosquito that’s spread a crippling virus through Asia is now being found at Australia’s border. The chikungunya virus is already being brought home by Australian tourists, and public health authorities are worried about a major outbreak if the mosquito, known as the ‘barbecue stopper’, becomes established. Ian Townsend investigates.

How a village in the NSW Hunter Valley won a landmark case against the mining giant Rio Tinto and the NSW government to stop a coalmine expansion. Residents argued their village would be virtually uninhabitable, and the court agreed. But the fight’s not over yet. Jess Hill investigates.

Australian clothing retailers have been called to account over their use of dangerous and abusive factories in Bangladesh. Unions and big investors alike are demanding changes and Kmart has been the first to respond, pledging to open its overseas factories to scrutiny. Di Martin examines an industry that’s long resisted giving details of its supply chain.

Sydney teen Henry Kwan became the public face of a new war on synthetic drugs when his death prompted state and federal bans on a range of compounds known as ‘legal highs'. But what exactly are these substances and can a ban be effective? Sarah Dingle meets a former manufacturer, and tests one of the most popular legal highs—White Revolver.

The taxi industry is ripe for reform. High fares and the skyrocketing value of taxi plates ensures big returns for the big players—like Cabcharge—but passenger numbers are in decline and drivers' wages have collapsed. What’s needed is an injection of real competition and choice. Wendy Carlisle investigates.

Australian grain growers say a foreign takeover of the country’s biggest agri-business, GrainCorp, should be stopped, in the national interest. They say they’ll be the losers if US food giant ADM takes control of the storage, movement and sale of grain across several states. Reporter Stan Correy looks at ADM’s chequered history and what the takeover would mean for Australian farmers.

Thousands of asylum seekers are being released from detention into the community but under the federal government’s ‘no advantage’ policy they are not allowed to work and they receive just $30 a day to pay for rent, food and all other expenses. Charities are reporting a huge increase in demand for their services and warn that a new subclass of people is being created. Hagar Cohen investigates.