Badge of Betrayal

Three of Tasmania’s most senior police officers appear before the parliamentary inquiry. We unpack their evidence on serious misconduct, oversight and police culture, and the questions their answers leave behind.

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In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we examine some of the latest submissions made to Tasmania's police inquiry, including an account from a police officer who claims he was inside the bar at the Tasmania Police Academy in 2008.

What do these new submissions reveal, and what questions do they raise about what was happening behind closed doors?

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Acclaimed journalist and podcaster Camille Bianchi has launched a compelling new investigative series, Back to the Wall.

Bianchi, known for her work on award-winning crime series including The Nurse and Inside the Tribe with Tim Elliott, turns her attention to one of the darkest and most infamous chapters in Australian criminal history and a theory recently raised in the New South Wales Parliament.

This is the first epsiode follow the show Back to the Wall on your favoruite podcast app 

It’s the 1960’s and there is one place to go if you’re a kid whose home hurts. Kings Cross is where you can go to party and make money. And if you’re invited up the stairs, there is a whole other world waiting in a small club on Kellett Street.

If you want to get in touch, you can reach out anonymously here

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In November 1994, Sydney woman Revelle Balmain disappeared after attending what was believed to be her final appointment of the day. More than three decades later, her disappearance remains one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries. 

In Revelle Balmain: The Last Appointment, we revisit the final hours before she vanished and speak with people who knew her best  including former boyfriends, her stepsister Sue-Ellen, and one of the last people known to have seen Revelle alive.

Through their memories, new interviews and a fresh examination of the case, the series explores who Revelle was, what was happening in her life at the time, and the unanswered questions that remain about her disappearance. 

Revelle Balmain: The Last Appointment is coming to Apple Podcasts Subscriptions from Monday, October 19. 

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The public hearings into Tasmania Police misconduct begin, with confronting evidence from Laurel House and the DPP. We examine why victim-survivors may be afraid to report police, concerns around the six-month complaint limit, the so-called blue code of silence, and growing calls for a truly independent reporting and oversight system

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This special episode is being released across both Our Little Edey and Badge of Betrayal, as new information intersects with both stories  the death of Eden Westbrook and wider questions surrounding Tasmania Police.

A former Tasmania Police staff member shares what Sergeant Robert “Cookie” Cook told her about his time in St Helens, while another witness comes forward with fresh allegations and a disturbing memory involving “Kate.”

Plus, we bring you the latest developments from the parliamentary inquiry into Tasmania Police.

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Camille Bianchi is a journalist and podcaster who has worked on a number of acclaimed crime series, including The Nurse, Inside the Tribe and Rotten Apple.

Her latest project is a little different.

Introducing Back to the Wall.

Serial killer Ivan Milat’s story is one of the most infamous in Australian history. So why are there still so many unanswered questions about his movements in the lead-up to his arrest in the 1990s?

Could his crimes have been covered up for decades? What was his connection to Kings Cross?

As those questions are examined by a New South Wales inquiry, Back to the Wall returns to the mad, bad old days of Sydney’s red-light district to explore where these claims came from.

Through the eyes of the street kids who were there, we hear about the QCs, the kids who lined “the Wall”, and the friends they never saw again.

History is told by the winners. But what if it wasn’t?

Get the first two episodes of Back to the Wall ad-free and early with an Apple Podcasts subscription from Monday, October 12. 

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In this rush-release episode we delve into two submissions that were made public today in the government inquiry into Taspol. 

The first is from the DPP, and the second is from Taspol. It poses some interesting questions.

We also get more information from inside Taspol for 4 current serving officers, which again pose more questions.   

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Six months after first speaking to us anonymously, serving senior police officer “Tom” returns with new allegations about what happens inside Tasmania Police when misconduct involves senior ranks. He explains what he calls “off-book investigations” — matters allegedly handled outside normal reporting and oversight processes — and why he believes they can be used to avoid scrutiny. Tom also reveals the extraordinary position he now finds himself in: having spoken out to help expose these issues, he fears that his involvement in this podcast could complicate his ability to come forward to the parliamentary inquiry

SUPPORT OUR INVESTIGATION

Help us continue independent investigative reporting and get additional material, updates and early access through Podshape True Crime on Patreon.

Join Podshape True Crime on Patreon

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CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses allegations of sexual misconduct, workplace power imbalance and fear of reporting within policing. The allegations discussed have not been tested in court and have not been independently established. Identifying details have been deliberately withheld.

A detailed anonymous email lands with Badge of Betrayal, containing serious allegations involving a serving female police officer and a more senior colleague.

But this episode is about something bigger than one allegation.

What happens when a police officer believes the person they may need to report has more power inside the organisation than they do? Who can they safely turn to? And what happens when serious information is known inside an organisation, but never becomes a formal complaint?

We also return to our anonymous serving officer “Tom”, who tells us about something he describes as an “off-book investigation” — raising new questions about how allegations can be handled inside Tasmania Police and what records should exist when serious concerns are raised.

As the Parliamentary Inquiry into Tasmania Police responses to allegations of officer misconduct continues, we ask a fundamental question: can a junior police officer report someone at the top and genuinely believe there will be no repercussions?

SUPPORT OUR INVESTIGATION

Help us continue independent investigative reporting and get additional material, updates and early access through Podshape True Crime on Patreon.

Join Podshape True Crime on Patreon

SUPPORT

If anything raised in this episode affects you or someone you know, help is available.

State-Wide Sexual Assault Support Line — 1800 697 877
24/7 support in Tasmania through Sexual Assault Support Service and Laurel House.

1800RESPECT — 1800 737 732
Text 0458 737 732 for 24/7 domestic, family and sexual violence counselling and support.

1800RESPECT

Lifeline — 13 11 14
Text 0477 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support.

Lifeline Australia

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.

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