Secrets We Keep
Each season, Secrets We Keep investigates a different Australian secret. Season 12, Behind the White Line, traces Australia's cocaine binge from narco to nostrils, exposing a police turf war over a $1 billion shipment. Season 11, Dezi Freeman: The Hunt, follows the manhunt for a sovereign citizen who killed two police officers. Season 10, The Children in the Pictures, is an 8-part series hosted by an Australian documentary-maker.
Episodes
Behind The White Line | Ep 4 | Lovely girl
In episode four of Behind the White Line, back in Western Australia, police continue to track the fake cocaine, as one by one, key players are caught red handed. More than half of Australia’s annual coke supply intercepted in one hit. But not everyone is happy. As two DEA agents are kicked out of Australia, a turf war breaks out between State and Australian Federal Police which will lead to
Behind The White Line | Ep 3 | The Kenya job
In episode three of Behind the White Line, we talk to a West Australian Police operative who goes deep undercover, as part of a DEA sting to nab a big-time drug trafficker in Nairobi. Stakes are high as “Tommy” infiltrates the drug cartel. The dangerous operation is a precursor to an even more daring sting to intercept the biggest cocaine haul in Australian history.See omnystudio.com/l
Behind The White Line | Ep 2 | Taking the bait
In episode two of Behind the White Line, drones patrol the night sky as police drop 1.2 tonne of fake cocaine bricks into the Indian Ocean. It doesn’t take long for an unsuspecting crew to reel in their ‘catch’ but as the weather turns nasty, things go from bad to worse for the cocaine syndicate, as cops make their move. Read more of The West Australian's coverage here: https://t
Behind The White Line | Ep 1 | A plan is hatched
In episode one of Behind the White Line, Richard Baker gets suited and booted to attend the swanky Birdcage at Flemington, where racegoers make a beeline for the toilets to ‘rack up’. As the world’s highest users of cocaine per capita, Australia has become the number one target of Mexican cartels and crime syndicates. With a billion-dollar shipment headed Down Under, the US Drug
Behind The White Line - Podcast drops tomorrow
An investigation into Australia’s cocaine binge, Behind the White Line, traces the trail of white powder, from narco to nostrils. The series goes inside a $1 billion shipment, exposing a police turf war between the United States' DEA, the AFP and WA cops over an audacious sting to outwit a Mexican cartel. With exclusive interviews of high-ranking detectives, undercover operatives, DEA agents
Introducing: Behind The White Line
An investigation into Australia’s cocaine binge, Behind the White Line, traces the trail of white powder, from narco to nostrils. The series goes inside a $1 billion shipment, exposing a police turf war between the United States' DEA, the AFP and WA cops over an audacious sting to outwit a Mexican cartel. With exclusive interviews of high-ranking detectives, undercover operatives, DEA agents
Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 6 | A growing threat
Although Dezi Freeman is no longer a threat, the ideology he embraced continues to spread through Australia’s growing sovereign citizen movement. In this final episode, 7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos examine the question authorities are quietly asking: how many more people like Dezi Freeman are out there? To understand the scale of the movement (and why it attr
Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 5 | The making of Dezi Freeman
He was known to the world as Dezi Freeman, but that wasn’t the name he was born with. In this episode, 7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos trace Dezi Freeman’s origin story, uncovering new details about his childhood, the influences around him, and the pivotal moments that shaped his worldview — revealing the reality of the man behind the myth, and how h
Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 4 | My beautiful boy
In a case as high-profile as Dezi Freeman’s, the manhunt, his sovereign citizen beliefs, and the conspiracy theories surrounding his life (and death) have often overshadowed the human toll left behind. In this episode, 7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos shift the focus to the two Victoria Police officers killed by Freeman: Detective Leading Senior Constable Neil Th
Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 3 | The force that never gave up
The hunt for Dezi Freeman wasn’t just a manhunt. It was a battle on hostile ground. Police moved into a community that didn’t trust them, didn’t want them there, and in some cases, openly opposed them. As tensions rose, investigators pushed on, determined not to lose their grip on the case. In this episode, 7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos reveal the
Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 2 | Inside the operation
Once police received the tip-off that exposed Dezi Freeman’s hideout, they moved in — quietly. For seven days, officers hid in dense bushland, watching the remote property, waiting for the moment to strike. They knew Freeman had already evaded capture once. If he ran again, they might not get a second chance. 7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos take you inside
Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 1 | The final 24 hours
7NEWS Crime Editor Cassie Zervos was at home with her newborn when a police source gave her a scoop: Australia’s most wanted fugitive, Dezi Freeman, had been found and shot dead. She became the first journalist to break the story. Freeman, a self-described ‘sovereign citizen’, had been on the run for seven months after allegedly killing two police officers. What followed was one
Introducing Dezi Freeman: The Hunt
When two police officers were shot dead in regional Victoria, the man accused vanished into the bushland. What followed was one of the most extensive manhunts in Australian history. 7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos take you inside the case from every angle: what happened, how it unfolded, his ideology, and the impact on those left behind. Dezi Freeman: The Hunt, is a 7
The Children in the Pictures Bonus: Jon Rouse, the man behind Taskforce Argos
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the interne
The Children in the Pictures | Ep 8 | The Hope and the Good
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the interne
The Children in the Pictures | Ep 7 | A Perfect Match
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the interne
The Children in the Pictures | Ep 6 | The Glitch
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the interne
The Children in the Pictures | Ep 5 | The Job of Being Evil
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the interne
The Children in the Pictures | Ep 4 | The Takeover
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the interne
The Children in the Pictures | Ep 3 | The Anti-Social Network
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, the Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the internet. The series exposes the scale of a
The Children in the Pictures | Ep 2 | Crimes Without Borders
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the interne
The Children in the Pictures | Ep 1 | Down the Rabbit Hole
With the crisis of child exploitation gripping Australia, for the next few weeks, Secrets we Keep feed brings you the LiSTNR award-winning series, Children in the Pictures, an investigative podcast about the global fight against online child exploitation, following Australian investigators as they track offenders hiding in plain sight across the interne
Uncovered | Unmasking the alleged torturer turned Bondi nanny | Part 2
A CIA-backed coup. A hidden Australian connection. And a suburban nanny with a secret past. In Part Two of Unmasking the Alleged Torturer Turned Bondi Nanny, Uruguayan-Australian journalist Florencia Melgar takes us inside her extraordinary interview with Adriana Rivas — a former member of Augusto Pinochet’s secret police, accused of some of the dictatorship’s most brutal crimes.
Uncovered | Unmasking the alleged torturer turned Bondi nanny | Part 1
A CIA-backed coup. A hidden Australian connection. And a suburban nanny with a secret past. In Part 1 of Unmasking the alleged torturer turned Bondi nanny, Uruguayan-Australian journalist Florencia Melgar takes us inside her groundbreaking investigation, The Other 9/11, and how she uncovered the secret role Australian spies played in the Pinochet coup in Ch
Uncovered | Smuggling out proof of the secret war on Australia's doorstep
In this episode of Secrets We Keep: Uncovered, filmmaker Kristo Langker takes us inside the long-running conflict between Indonesia and West Papuans. Embedded with fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army, a small armed independence movement that has been battling Indonesian security forces for decades, Kristo travelled to a remote mountain village where the Indonesian military was alleg
Uncovered | Discovering your boyfriend was a cop spying on you | Part 2
For years, flatmates Wendy and Ellie trusted James. He joined Wendy’s animal rights advocacy group, quickly becoming one of her closest friends — and Ellie’s boyfriend. But James wasn’t who they thought. He was an undercover cop, deployed to spy on them. Part of a secretive UK operation now known as Spy Cops, James was one of many officers who infiltrated activist and prote
Uncovered | Discovering your boyfriend was a cop spying on you | Part 1
For years, flatmates Wendy and Ellie trusted James. He joined Wendy’s animal rights advocacy group, quickly becoming one of her closest friends — and Ellie’s boyfriend. But James wasn’t who they thought. He was an undercover cop, deployed to spy on them. Part of a secretive UK operation now known as Spy Cops, James was one of many officers who infiltrated activist and prote
Uncovered | Exposing the Bondi gunmen's ISIS links
After a 16-year-old extremist attempted to stab a Bishop at a church in Western Sydney, ABC investigative journalist Sean Rubinsztein‑Dunlop was approached by a man with an extraordinary claim: he was a former undercover ASIO spy who had infiltrated extremist networks in Sydney linked to Islamic State. In this episode of Uncovered, Sean tells the story of ‘Marcus’, the ex-spy who
Uncovered | Confronting Prince Andrew on Epstein
When BBC's Newsnight journalist Emily Maitlis interviewed Prince Andrew, Buckingham Palace was hoping for redemption. Instead, what they got was disastrous interview that shook the British monarchy, spelled the downfall of Prince Andrew and catapulted a global scandal that still reverberates today. In this episode of Uncovered, Emily Maitlis takes us behind the scenes, through the negot
Uncovered | Exposing hero surgeon's maggot-infested patient
What happens when a surgeon celebrated as a “hero” leaves some patients to suffer devastating consequences? From maggot-infested wounds to systemic failures that left some paraplegic patients and amputees in worse shape than when they first sought help. In this interview, investigative journalist Charlotte Grieve tells the story of how she uncovered the hidden side behind the halo of a
BONUS | Unveiling the motives behind the Christchurch terrorist’s appeal
The Christchurch terrorist has returned to court, seeking to overturn his guilty plea for the 2019 mosque attacks that killed 51 people. He argues that the extreme isolation of a “prison within a prison” inside New Zealand’s most secure facility left him psychologically incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty. How likely is a judge to grant his request? And
Lone Actor | Investigating the Christchurch terrorist
There are new developments in the case of the Christchurch terrorist — the Australian man who murdered 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 — who is now seeking to overturn his guilty plea and appeal his sentence. The Christchurch massacre remains the deadliest act of extremist violence committed by an Australian. In Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor, journalist Joey Watson retrac
Uncovered | Infiltrating an LSD-fuelled neo-Nazi goat sacrifice
To bring down a violent neo-Nazi group, former FBI undercover agent Scott Payne had to become someone else. It was a mission that demanded more than surveillance. He infiltrated a neo-Nazi hate camp and, to prove loyalty, he had to partake into strange rituals, even sacrificing a goat. In this interview, Payne takes us inside the mechanics of extremist recruitment, the psychology of hate, and the
SPONSORED | Unravelling memory and evidence in real-world investigations
When you think crime, justice, and police or journalistic investigations, what really goes into unravelling evidence? What skills do professionals need to put the pieces together? In this sponsored episode, Joey Watson sits down with Dr Hayley Cullen, a cognitive and forensic psychology expert, to explore what skills university students in psychology, forensic science, criminal investigation, and
Uncovered | Exposing the government’s false case for war
As Australia geared up to join the United States in the Iraq War, then intelligence analyst Andrew Wilkie faced an ethical crossroads: the government’s claims to justify the war were untrue. In this interview, the now independent MP speaks candidly about whistleblowing against the official narrative and what it means to challenge power in the lead-up
Sneak Peek | Uncovered returns on Tuesday 27 January
Every investigation forces a choice. What to reveal. What to protect. What to live with. What happens when the truth comes at a cost? Secrets We Keep returns for 2026 on Tuesday 27 January, with new investigations into power, silence, and the stories people would rather keep buried.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Killer Charm | Ep 6 | A Final Trial
Over summer, the Secrets we Keep feed brings you Killer Charm, a LiSTNR award-winning series from investigative journalist Tara Cassidy. When a Queensland man was found dead after falling into a woodchipper in 2017 It looked like a tragic industrial accident. In reality it was planned – a murder orchestrated by his ex-partner, a grandmother from suburban Queensland. In this episode, Sh
Killer Charm | Ep 5 | Rare Brand of Evil
Over summer, the Secrets we Keep feed brings you Killer Charm, a LiSTNR award-winning series from investigative journalist Tara Cassidy. When a Queensland man was found dead after falling into a woodchipper in 2017 It looked like a tragic industrial accident. In reality it was planned – a murder orchestrated by his ex-partner, a grandmother from suburban Queensland. In this episode, Po
Killer Charm | Ep 4 | Surveillance
Over summer, the Secrets we Keep feed brings you Killer Charm, a LiSTNR award-winning series from investigative journalist Tara Cassidy. When a Queensland man was found dead after falling into a woodchipper in 2017 It looked like a tragic industrial accident. In reality it was planned – a murder orchestrated by his ex-partner, a grandmother from suburban Queensland. In this episode, th
Killer Charm | Ep 3 | Seven Wills
Over summer, the Secrets we Keep feed brings you Killer Charm, a LiSTNR award-winning series from investigative journalist Tara Cassidy. When a Queensland man was found dead after falling into a woodchipper in 2017 It looked like a tragic industrial accident. In reality it was planned – a murder orchestrated by his ex-partner, a grandmother from suburban Queensland. In this episode, Sh
Killer Charm | Ep 2 | Muffin
Over summer, the Secrets we Keep feed brings you Killer Charm, a LiSTNR award-winning series from investigative journalist Tara Cassidy. When a Queensland man was found dead after falling into a woodchipper in 2017 It looked like a tragic industrial accident. In reality it was planned – a murder orchestrated by his ex-partner, a grandmother from suburban Queensland. In this episode, Ta
Killer Charm | Ep 1 | The 'Accident'
Over summer, the Secrets we Keep feed brings you Killer Charm, a LiSTNR award-winning series from investigative journalist Tara Cassidy. When a Queensland man was found dead after falling into a woodchipper in 2017 It looked like a tragic industrial accident In reality it was planned – a murder orchestrated by his ex-partner, a grandmother from suburban Queensland. All peop
Uncovered – How undercover police radicalised an autistic child | Part 2
In this two-part exclusive, Joey Watson speaks to the parents of “Thomas Carrick” (pseudonym), a young teenager with autism radicalised by covert Australian Federal Police operatives and later charged with terrorism. His charges were dropped by a Victorian court. For the first time, Thomas’ parents speak publicly about the systemic gaps that allowed a vulnerable boy to be d
Uncovered – How undercover police radicalised an autistic child | Part 1
In this two-part exclusive, Joey Watson speaks to the parents of “Thomas Carrick” (pseudonym), a young teenager with autism radicalised by covert Australian Federal Police operatives and later charged with terrorism. His charges were dropped by a Victorian court. For the first time, Thomas’ parents speak publicly about the systemic gaps that allowed a vulnerable boy to be drawn d
Uncovered – Unmasking Australia’s most corrupt cop
Hailing from a bikie family to becoming a celebrated cop, former NSW police officer and whistleblower Deb Locke revealed the hidden truth behind Roger Rogerson—once praised as a star detective, but ultimately unmasked as one of Australia’s most corrupt and violent police officers. Deb shares powerful firsthand insights into the culture of intimidation and cover-ups within the NSW Polic
Uncovered - Secretly recording corrupt politicians in Ibiza
An undercover sting on the Spanish party island of Ibiza involving a far-right political leader, a fake Russian oligarch, cocaine and corruption. This is the inside story of the Ibiza Affair, and how private investigator Julian Hessenthaler made the secret recordings that brought down a government. Credits: Host/Producer: Joey Watson Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco Sound Design: Mat
Uncovered - Blowing the whistle on the Butcher of Bega
When Lorraine Long began logging complaints from patients who claimed to be mistreated by doctors, she uncovered one of Australia’s most shocking medical scandals. Her warnings were ignored, her reputation attacked, but her persistence exposed “the Butcher of Bega,” disgraced gynaecologist and obstetrician Graeme Reeves, who was accused of mutilating and assaulting patients. In t
Uncovered - Infiltrating ‘get-rich-quick’ hustle culture
What happens when a world-famous prankster journalist decides to put all the TikToks, podcasts, and online masterclasses promising overnight riches to the test? British filmmaker Oobah Butler spills the methods behind his latest documentary, “How I Made £1 Million In 90 Days”, a wild ride through the art of turning hype and hot air into cash, faking his way to wealth t
Uncovered – Exposing the AFP’s secret use of facial recognition
When it became known that a shadowy facial recognition company called Clearview AI had created a massive database, capable of identifying almost anyone, anywhere, reporters around the globe picked up the trail — working to uncover how this start-up could reshape privacy and policing internationally. Here in Australia, tech reporter Cam Wilson dug into the Australian Federal Police&rsqu
Uncovered - Hunting Australia's Nazi war criminals (Part 2)
Go inside the courtroom as the Special Investigations Unit fights to deliver justice to three alleged Nazi collaborators living in Australia — men accused of participating in atrocities during World War II. Prosecutor Graham Blewitt takes us behind the scenes of the long, complex battle for accountability, marked by High Court challenges, fading memories, and the failing health of the accuse
Uncovered - Hunting Australia's Nazi war criminals (Part 1)
In the mid 1980s, Australia had to reckon with an uncomfortable truth: that hundreds of suspected Nazi war criminals had made this country their home. They had slipped in after World War II and had been living quietly in the suburbs. Leading the effort to expose them was the Special Investigations Unit. Prosecutor Graham Blewitt was part of the team whose task was to find the men w
Introducing Secrets We Keep: Uncovered
From next week, join Joey Watson as he takes you inside some of the most important investigations of our time. Each week, you'll hear stories powerful people hoped would stay buried, by speaking directly to those who lived and breathed them. Subscribe and follow Secrets We Keep, to be the first to hear Uncovered on October 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jailbreak - Bonus - Antoinette Lattouf speaks to Tim Elliott
Tim Elliott has done what few could - persuading one of Australia's most elusive prison escapees to break his silence. The journalist and author has always been drawn to the hidden corners of people's lives, shaped in part by his own story of privilege and pain, shadowed by hardship and the loss of his father. In Secrets We Keep: Jailbreak, Tim enters the mind of Darko (aka ‘Dougie') Desic,
Jailbreak - Episode 6 - Free Dougie
Darko is free but trapped in the life of a fugitive. He falls in love but can’t reveal his true identity and breaks it off. Life is hard: Darko’s living outside the system now. With no ID or healthcare, he can’t openly travel or seek medical attention. He depends on local support and cash jobs. Once COVID hits, Darko becomes homeless, and decides to hand himself in. Behind bars o
Coming soon - Secrets We Keep: Uncovered
Brought to you by LiSTNR’s team of award-winning journalists, Secrets We Keep: Uncovered takes you inside some of the most important investigations of our time, with our expanding network of journalists and sources from around Australia and beyond. Every week, we pull back the curtain on the stories powerful people hoped would stay buried, by speaking directly to those who lived and br
Jailbreak - Episode 5 - The Great Escape
Darko methodically prepares an escape plan, taking months to prepare. As Darko readies himself physically, mentally and logistically, he collects the tools he needs to breakout: bolt cutters, a hack saw blade and new running shoes. After his daring escape, the cops give chase, but Darko miraculously evades them at every turn. Darko returns to Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where he assumes a new
Jailbreak - Episode 4 - Model Prisoner
Darko’s sent to some of Australia’s most notorious prisons, where he acquaints himself with several underworld figures. Darko’s making the most of his time behind bars when he’s told that once his sentence is complete, he will be deported back to Yugoslavia, then in the midst of a brutal civil war. Going back would’ve meant having to fight in the conflict, so Darko de
Jailbreak - Episode 3 - Busted
Darko’s killing it. He uses the proceeds of a successful marijuana crop to buy a new bike, gold, opals and blue-chip shares. A single, fateful mistake gets him discovered by the police, but Darko manages a near escape. Now a fugitive, Darko picks up work on a banana plantation in Coffs Harbour, where his workmates realise there’s more to Darko than meets the eye. After a few months und
Jailbreak - Episode 2 - It Was a Boom
After visiting Australia in the 1980s, Darko returns home to Yugoslavia but senses trouble coming. He sees the rise of nationalism and early signs of conflict looming. Darko heads back to the safety of Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Enamoured by the laid-back lifestyle, Darko learns to grow and sell weed. He plans to buy his dream house in Palm Beach but gets greedy. This fit, young, former comm
Jailbreak - Episode 1 - You’ve Been Looking for Me
It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon in 2021, when Darko Desic arrives, unannounced, at a police station, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. He claims to have escaped from prison 30 years before and now wants to hand himself in. The police are confused. There’s no record of him on their files. The officers eventually arrest him. When news emerges of Darko’s 30 years on the run, the worl
Bonus - The 13 year old Australian charged as a terrorist
At just 13 years old, Thomas Carrick was placed under covert surveillance by the Australian Federal Police. Believing he was speaking to ISIS operatives online, Thomas was in fact engaging with undercover officers, conversations that would eventually see him charged with terrorism offences. The AFP knew Thomas lived with autism and an intellectual disability. Still, they pursued him in a way a jud
Introducing Jailbreak
In Jailbreak, we hear the extraordinary story of a fugitive who lived for 30 years on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. The reclusive Darko Desic (prolific weed grower, prison escapee and martial arts expert) tells his story for the first time; a story of resilience and discipline. In following Darko’s remarkable journey, Jailbreak explores eternal truths about free will
Bonus - Joey answers your questions
Why did Joey decide to use the terrorist's name? Where are far-right extremist communities gathering now? In this bonus Q&A episode, Joey answers your questions about making the Lone Actor podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bonus - Antoinette Lattouf interviews Joey Watson
Journalist and host of the Weekend Briefing Antointette Lattouf sits down with Joey Watson to go beyond the investigation. Find out how Joey came to the story, and how his family history influences his work. Have a question for Joey? Email secretswekeep@sca.com.au. You can hear more from Antointette every Saturday on the Weekend Briefing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat
Lone Actor - Episode 6 - Skull Mask Network
Having spent years tracing the terrorist, Joey is still left with unanswered questions. Parts of the manifesto don’t match the online worlds Joey has investigated — references to revolution, societal collapse, and a call for chaos. Joey’s search leads to a shadowy neo-Nazi terror network that emerged in the years before the attack. Could this be the missing link in th
Lone Actor - Episode 5 - The defence of Europe
After the attack, authorities in Austria learnt that the terrorist had been linked to a high-profile extremist in their country – Martin Sellner. The terrorist had given Sellner a sizeable donation, and had visited Austria four months before the attack. So, the question was asked – did Sellner and the terrorist have contact? However, the Austrian investigation into th
Lone Actor - Episode 4 - The Balkans
Two trips to the Balkans, in South-Eastern Europe might hold the key to the terrorist's mindset in the years before the attack. This is a region steeped in nationalist history and revered by the far-right, and the details of his time here are murky. Joey follows the terrorist to the other side of the world, searching for more clues about his radicalisation, trying to find out if anyone in Eu
Lone Actor - Episode 3 - In the scene
On the afternoon of the attack, a member of a private Facebook group for Australian extremists comments that the terrorist had been “in the scene for a while”. Digging through an archive of Facebook posts, Joey Watson uncovers just how deep those connections ran. Joey finds the terrorist had been in contact with Australian extremists for years – including signalling t
Lone Actor - Episode 2 - Shitposting
The terrorist posted a manifesto and a live stream link on an obscure image board just minutes before the attack, urging users to “do their part by spreading my message.” Journalist Joey Watson investigates the online community of 4chan, and finds how a once-creative part of the internet was taken over by far-right extremists, desensitizing each other towards violence.  
Lone Actor - Episode 1 - March 15
In 2019, a 28-year-old Australian terrorist live-streamed himself murdering 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand, sending shockwaves around the world. It was the deadliest act of right-wing extremist violence committed by an Australian. As journalist Joey Watson speaks with survivors and researchers, he begins to uncover a more complex story. What, or who, led the terro
Introducing Lone Actor
On March 15 2019 a gunman opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch, killing 51 people. Officially, he acted alone. But what if that wasn’t the full story? In Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor, journalist Joey Watson digs into the digital underworld that shaped Brenton Tarrant — a 28-year-old Australian radicalised online and armed with a global ideology. Joey retraces the steps of the terr
By Any Means - Episode 6 - Baby Brokers
How is international commercial surrogacy being sold to foreign intended parents? Amelia sends Senior Producer Claudianna Blanco to Colombia to find out. Claudianna talks to experts, industry insiders and surrogates to uncover the international daisy chain of brokers and middlemen. All episodes of By Any Means are available exclusively on the LiSTNR app. If you want to get in tou
By Any Means - Episode 5 - The Surrogacy Sisterhood
Surrogacy is the pointy end of the fertility industry – the last resort for conceiving babies that are genetically linked to their parents. In Australia, the only legal option for surrogacy is via someone offering to carry a baby altruistically. Who are these women who are happy to carry a baby for a stranger? Amelia sends Senior Producer Claudianna Blanco to Tasmania for the Sur
By Any Means - Episode 4 - Magic Potion
You’ve heard the mistakes the fertility industry has made – so it’s no surprise some people are offering another option. In this episode, Amelia Oberhardt dives into the ‘known donor’ movement, of men offering their sperm on Facebook. Is it better than using sperm sourced through a fertility clinic? And is an unregulated environment of sperm donation
By Any Means - Episode 3 - 700 Siblings
Systemic secrecy and loose record-keeping in the early days of IVF is coming to light, and it's clear that some sperm donors were abusing the system. In this episode, Amelia hears from adult donor-conceived people whose lives have been altered because of secrecy and negligence. From people finding out they have an unknown large number of siblings, to inherited health conditions, and the angu
By Any Means - Episode 2 - Russellpalooza
In the early 2000s, the advent of DNA test kits opens the Pandora’s Box of conception secrets. As the identities of many previously anonymous sperm donors are suddenly revealed, their biological children’s lives are upended upon learning the truth about how they’d been conceived. Amelia speaks to Darren, a medical student who’d donated his sperm anonymously in the 198
By Any Means - Episode 1 - That Infertility Feeling
An intriguing email propels journalist Amelia Oberhardt to investigate the fertility industry in Australia, its history and methods, and the outcomes for the children born during the early days of IVF – when secrecy around conception and anonymous sperm donation was the norm. Amelia’s starting point is her best friend’s mother – one of the first women to go thro
Introducing By Any Means
Egg donation, sperm donation and surrogacy – assisted reproduction technologies have made it easier than ever to have a baby but created an ethical and identity minefield. From finding sperm on Facebook, to finding out you might have 700 siblings, Secrets We Keep: By Any Means examines the multibillion-dollar fertility industry that fills wombs. Journalist Amelia Oberhardt speaks with parent
Should I Spit? - Episode 9 - Eye of Sauron
Claire discovers how the Australian Federal Police are embracing FIGG, but with no regulation to safeguard against the privacy concerns which come with increased genetic surveillance. And in the final episode of Should I Spit?, the true market value of DNA databases is revealed and we find out how the personal information amassed by companies like Ancestry is being facilitated by Australia’s
Should I Spit? - Episode 8 - FIGG
Claire meets the scientist responsible for the original DNA family history project Michael’s father donated to. He’s a well-known archaeo-geneticist who was attempting to build a DNA family tree of the whole world, with the hope it would bring world peace. This ambitious plan was funded by a Mormon billionaire. A celebrity genetic detective takes on the Angie Dodge case and finds that
