Background Briefing

A group of residents in Adelaide have opened a new front against the fast food giant. They’re trying to stop a McDonald’s restaurant opening opposite a school, arguing it will raise childhood obesity rates in the area. This may be the first time an urban planning court in Australia has looked beyond traffic, noise, litter and crime concerns, to consider the food environment. Reporter: Stan Correy. Update: The Environment, Resources and Development Court of South Australia has upheld the appeal of the residents against the development of a McDonald's restaurant on Woodville Rd, Adelaide. The judgement can be read here.

A group of residents in Adelaide have opened a new front against the fast food giant. They’re trying to stop a McDonald’s restaurant opening opposite a school, arguing it will raise childhood obesity rates in the area. This may be the first time an urban planning court in Australia has looked beyond traffic, noise, litter and crime concerns, to consider the food environment. Reporter: Stan Correy. Update: The Environment, Resources and Development Court of South Australia has upheld the appeal of the residents against the development of a McDonald's restaurant on Woodville Rd, Adelaide. The judgement can be read here.

Matthew Barclay, Saxon Bird and Robert Gatenby all died while competing at national surf championship events on the Gold Coast. Their deaths occurred in different years but at the same beach, and all in heavy surf conditions. Were their deaths preventable? Did Surf Life Saving Australia fail in its duty of care? There’s grief, anger and calls for a Royal Commission. Reporter: Wendy Carlisle

There’s growing evidence that lead poisoning shaves IQ points in children and has an insidious effect on behaviour. While experts debate safe exposure, a boom in home renovations could increase the risks. The recently flooded suburbs of Queensland are lead-dust hot spots but residents haven’t been warned. Reporter: Ian Townsend

Punch, kick, knee, elbow, choke, stomp, almost anything goes in a cage fight. It’s brutal, it’s legal, it’s popular and it’s a public safety time-bomb without adequate regulation. Reporter: Hagar Cohen

It began as a brutal no-holds-barred experiment and is now a multi-billion dollar fight industry. Cage fighting, or Mixed Martial Arts, is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and especially in Australia. The sport’s main promoter says it’s part of our DNA and fighters will do anything to step into the cage. Reporter Hagar Cohen.

He’s a billionaire mining magnate, a real estate developer, football club saviour, a medical philanthropist, a professor, a political combatant and, officially, a National Living Treasure. How does he do it? Background Briefing investigates the big world and the big claims of Clive Palmer. Reporter: Stan Correy

In forty years Australia’s energy efficiency record has barely improved.  We’re a land of air con, power hungry industry, and fuel guzzling cars.  But electricity is no longer cheap, and we have to deal with carbon emissions.  Energy savings could deal with both.  Yet the message has been swept away by the political storm over a carbon price.  Reporter: Di Martin

Want to avoid big power bills in your next home? The federal government wants all homes for sale or rent to have an energy efficiency rating. We already rate new homes, and the system is weeding out some power guzzling designs. But there are major flaws as well. Some super efficient designs don’t rate—and some six star homes are still substandard. So how do you find an energy efficient home?  Reporter: Di Martin

In the 1970s, Joh Bjelke-Petersen told mining companies to build towns or they wouldn't be able to dig out the black gold. That's why towns like Moranbah were built. Forty years later, Moranbah has morphed into a big miners camp. House prices have gone through the roof, businesses are collapsing and families are leaving. Now even Labor voters are reminiscing about Joh. Reporter, Wendy Carlisle.