Dig — Saving The Franklin

In this episode of Saving the Franklin, scenes on the West Coast get uglier and uglier, and the campaigners turn to the mainland for support as a Federal election looms.  

In this episode of Saving the Franklin, thousands of protesters fly into the sleepy town of Strahan to prepare for the biggest moment in the campaign: the blockade.

An army of national media descend, and the first bulldozer is taken upriver, for a shocking confrontation on the water. 

The campaigners had painted the Franklin River as an untouched natural wonder, a place free from human interference: a wilderness.

But the rediscovery of a cave along the Franklin throws everything into question. The finding is so significant it reshapes modern understanding of human history – and it paves the way for a new strategy to save the River.

The Franklin Dam proposal symbolised a lifeline to struggling communities on Tasmania's West Coast, recovering from the end of a mining era. Yet for environmentalists, it symbolised destruction and greed.

In this episode of Saving the Franklin, the battle lines are drawn between pro-dammers and environmentalists and the State Government is caught in the middle, until it's forced to act.

The fight to save the Franklin River started in a totally different part of Tasmania's wilderness: with a proposal to dam the paradise inland beach of Lake Pedder. In this episode of Saving the Franklin, a mystery disappearance and a devastating loss signal to campaigners just how far they'll have to go in the next battle.

Australia's biggest-ever environmental battle was over a wild river in a remote part of Tasmania: the Franklin. Protesters flooded in from all over Australia to stop the Franklin River from being dammed for hydropower. They stood in front of bulldozers and were jailed for it. But for lots of locals, the dam represented a job opportunity at a time of economic crisis. This fight tore apart communities and captured the attention of the nation.

Today, more people are concerned about the planet than ever before…so in a fight for the environment, this season of Dig investigates: What does it take to win?

For the first time since taking the stand at the Fitzgerald Inquiry, Katherine James (not her real name) has decided to speak publicly. In this exclusive interview, Katherine describes how she went from a teenage madam to a young mother entering witness protection, and whether, 35 years later, it was all worth it.

There have been some exciting developments since we published Sirens Are Coming, so stay tuned to this feed for further episodes. In the meantime, if you have material or information you believe is relevant to the history of Queensland's police corruption in the sex work industry and beyond, tell us about it by writing to [email protected]

Thirty-five years after the Fitzgerald inquiry, sex workers in Queensland face a different kind of intimidation from police: entrapment. Producer Cheyne Anderson investigates how things have changed since the Rat Pack's reign, and what sex workers today want to change in the state.

The Rat Pack has its day of reckoning: The Fitzgerald Inquiry. Katherine James is key to exposing the corruption that's infiltrated the Queensland police force for the last forty years, but the cost of speaking out is high.