Four Corners

Four Corners' two-part special on the Bondi massacre continues with Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop's investigation into the secret lives of the terrorists, uncovering astonishing new information leading up to the attack.

The Liberal Party is hurtling towards a reckoning. This isn't just a battle that will decide who leads the Liberal Party; it's a battle for the party's identity, and direction. Patricia Karvelas takes you inside the contest that will shape the future of the Coalition.

Four Corners ' "Scarred" reported by Louise Milligan and produced by Mary Fallon looks at practices by one of Melbourne's most prominent gynaecologists. He was a top Melbourne surgeon who women trusted with their bodies and their futures. But he removed organs and tissue from women in their twenties for what he told them was severe endometriosis, while failing to tell them that their pathology showed little or no signs of the disease. His procedures compromised their fertility and left some with chronic, debilitating pain. This week, Four Corners uncovers how this was allowed to happen and why no one intervened until it was too late. Reporter Louise Milligan and the team uncover how one of Melbourne's most prominent gynaecologists carried out repeated laparoscopic surgeries that senior specialists describe as unnecessary and harmful. This seven-month investigation draws on patient testimony, forensic examination of medical records, and doctors speaking out for the first time. It exposes a pattern of surgery that experts have told Four Corners went far beyond accepted practice. It also exposes how complaints, warnings and red flags were ignored. This is a story about medical power, institutional failure and the devastating consequences when accountability breaks down. It raises urgent questions about what must change to prevent it from happening again.

"Toxic Tide" reported by Angus Grigg for Monday's Four Corners is produced by Alex McDonald and looks into South Australia's algal bloom. It's one of the worst environmental disasters to strike Australia's waters. Expected to be over in weeks, a year on, the South Australian algal bloom continues to devastate parts of the coastline. As South Australians go to the polls this weekend, Four Corners investigates what the government knew about the health risks and what they told the public. Despite the toxic bloom decimating marine life, shutting down parts of the fishing industry and according to some people, leaving them sick, the government repeatedly downplayed the health effects. Angus Grigg and the Four Corners team piece together what the government was told and its public messaging. Toxic Tide raises urgent questions about transparency, trust, and accountability in times of crisis. It serves as a warning for the rest of Australia about how governments respond and communicate as climate-driven environmental disasters become more frequent and more severe.

Wealthy tech titans Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and David Sacks were instrumental in Trump's rise to power and now hold sway far beyond Silicon Valley. How did they accumulate such unprecedented influence? Who's really in control?

Australian universities are in turmoil. Deep cuts to jobs and courses are triggering fury on campuses across the country. Monday's Four Corners report "Campus Chaos" reported by Steve Cannane and produced by Jonathan Mille, investigates how years of shrinking public funding, rising debt and increasingly corporate decision making have pushed some of the nation's most important public institutions to breaking point. "Campus Chaos" reveals the scale of spending on outside consultants and asks what that means for transparency, accountability and the future of higher education. It investigates claims that financial pressures are being used to justify sweeping restructures, while staff and students are left to bear the consequences. This story asks whether universities have drifted from their core public purpose, and who they are really serving?

As the US bombards Iran, sparking region-wide conflicts and unleashing a global economic crisis, Four Corners interrogates one of President Donald Trump's key reasons for war: Did Iran pose a nuclear threat?

Whistleblowers from the social media giants reveal how their companies deliberately built a business model powered by outrage and division, paving the way for radicalisation, real-world violence and fractured societies.

Four Corners unveils Australia's first comprehensive national map of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), revealing stark differences by location. ADHD diagnoses in Australian adults have risen dramatically over the past eight years, especially in women. Data for each state and territory reveal which suburbs are the hotspots. The findings are not what you'd expect. Dr Norman Swan and the team drill down into the new figures and discover which is Australia's ADHD capital. Treatment rates there far exceed what experts say is the actual prevalence of the condition. At the same time, large parts of Australia are ADHD deserts, where up to 90% of adults who might have ADHD are being left undiagnosed and untreated with potential consequences for their future. Attention Deficit asks how Australia ended up with such extremes, what harm is being done from both missed and misdiagnosis, why the system is failing and whether proposed remedies are likely to work?

After four years of war, in Russia there is close to zero public opposition to Putin's invasion of Ukraine. But a few are prepared to speak out.

Four Corners sees Grace Tobin puts police taser use under scrutiny, and the role played by the device's manufacturer, Axon. Police across Australia have embraced tasers over the past two decades. The weapons are meant to be a safer way to stop dangerous situations, without taking a life. But people are still dying. This week Four Corners reveals the secretive tactics behind investigations into controversial deaths, and the role played by the device's manufacturer, Axon. Reported by Grace Tobin from the ABC's investigative reporting team, Taser Tactics features an in-depth interview with the family of 95-year-old Clare Nowland, who died after being tasered in a nursing home in 2023, as well as shocking footage of a farmer being tasered within seconds of a police encounter on private property. For the first time, the program examines how a multibillion-dollar US tech giant has made itself indispensable to police in every state and territory. At its core, Taser Tactics asks a simple question: When something goes wrong after a taser is used, who decides what actually happened?

The Salvadoran president's deal with Trump to imprison deportees, and what each stood to gain. With the Salvadoran news outlet El Faro, now reporting from exile, President Nayib Bukele's tangled history with the gangs the U.S. says it is fighting.

A look at Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, from high-profile ICE raids to the death of activist Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, exploring questions around civil liberties, accountability and who is being targeted.

Worth almost $300 billion, BHP is the world's largest mining company. Despite publicly touting its green credentials over the last decade, Four Corners investigates how the company quietly halted green projects in the Pilbara and put off action on climate change. Angus Grigg teams up with journalist Marian Wilkinson to investigate how BHP went cold on climate change and what this means for Australia's climate targets.

A confronting Four Corners investigation into alleged police misconduct in NSW and the hidden accountability system accused of failing victims and the public. We ask, when police abuse their power, who holds them to account?

Artificial intelligence is already changing how we live and work, while being sold as the technology that could cure disease, transform productivity and solve some of the world's biggest problems. Four Corners reporter Steve Cannane investigates the race to build ever more powerful AI systems and asks whether it is moving faster than governments and communities can keep up with. Filmed in the United States and Australia, the program goes inside the global battle between the world's most powerful technology companies as they spend huge amounts of money building systems some say could one day outperform humans. Four Corners meets Bay Area tech workers who say AI has already upended their careers, experts who warn of systems that are becoming harder to control, and campaigners fighting the growing power of big tech companies. The story also takes a look at the next generation of AI models; software that can take instructions, make plans and act with increasing autonomy. Some in Australia are now asking what happens if these systems are deployed without adequate safeguards. Four Corners also digs into the physical footprint needed for the AI boom. Across America, communities are pushing back against the rapid construction of data centres, raising concerns about noise, pollution, water and energy use. Now, Australia is being courted as a key destination for major AI and data centre investment. The program examines deals, lobbying and policy shifts as global tech giants promise innovation, scientific progress and productivity gains. Critics warn Australia has retreated from tougher AI safety regulation at the very moment the technology is accelerating. As the world's most powerful AI companies seek to invest billions in Australia, Four Corners asks: who controls our future? Four Corners: The AI Race is reported by Steve Cannane and produced by Lesley Robinson.

When the Taliban swept back into Kabul in August 2021, Afghanistan's female cycling team knew they were in immediate danger. For years, these young women had defied conservative expectations simply by riding bicycles in public. To them, it was proof that women could claim space in public life. To the Taliban, it made them visible targets. Tonight on Four Corners, Escaping Kabul tells the dramatic story of a secret international effort to get members of Afghanistan's women's cycling community out of the country. With formal evacuation routes closing, a group of activists, cycling officials, diplomats and humanitarian workers began building a high-risk escape plan across Afghanistan's borders. Told through the testimony of the cyclists themselves and those who helped organise the rescue, Escaping Kabul is a tense and emotional account of courage under Taliban rule.

As parts of Australia turn away from native forest logging, Four Corners follows the logs and the money to ask whether the industry is really ending or just shifting state borders. In Victoria and Western Australia, native logging in state forests has been shut down. But the demand for native hardwood has not disappeared. In Timber Turmoil, reporter Jessica Longbottom investigates how timber from Tasmanian native forests is now feeding mills in Victoria, including businesses that have received millions of dollars in public money following Victoria's logging shutdown. The program also travels to New South Wales, where the next major fight over native forestry is playing out. Conservationists are using endangered Greater Glider protections to stop logging tree by tree, while the timber industry argues Australia still needs native hardwood and that shutting down local supply will only push demand overseas. In timber towns like Heyfield, Victoria, the industry says the fight is about more than trees; it is about manufacturing, jobs and the survival of regional communities built around the mills. Four Corners: Timber Turmoil is reported by Jessica Longbottom and produced by Jonathan Miller.

As the AFL pushes for growth, Four Corners uncovers startling new evidence of brain disease in younger players. Families of players diagnosed with CTE speak out about the risks of repeated head trauma, and whether the AFL has been transparent about the risks.

As artificial intelligence reshapes modern warfare, Four Corners investigates how AI-powered targeting systems are changing battlefield decisions from Ukraine to Gaza, and what this means for the future of conflict.

Four Corners raises serious questions about how affordable housing is being defined and delivered. Australia has been promised a solution to the housing crisis: affordable rental housing delivered with private developers, public money and big investors. But a Four Corners investigation raises serious questions about whether the system is delivering for the people who need it most. Reporter Pat McGrath takes a look at the growing housing model being embraced by governments across the country and reveals the reality for some renters. In an exclusive data analysis, Four Corners examined affordable housing rental listings in NSW and Victoria over eight weeks. The findings raise serious questions about how affordable housing is being defined and delivered. We speak to renters who say affordable housing hasn't lived up to its promises. The investigation also examines how developers and investors are being offered planning concessions, public loans and other incentives to deliver affordable housing, and asks what governments are getting in return.

From IV drip bars to recovery studios to plush longevity clinics and online biohacking, the longevity industry is booming. Dr Norman Swan examines whether the race to slow aging is outpacing the science.

Can Australians trust the labels on the food they buy? In a major two-part Four Corners investigation, Adele Ferguson teams up with forensic food scientists to examine the integrity of Australia's food supply. The result of an eight-month investigation, the program commissions extensive laboratory testing of everyday supermarket products and interrogates the global supply chains and regulatory systems that shape what ends up on our supermarket shelves. The shocking results raise serious questions about food authenticity, misleading origin claims and undeclared ingredients in common pantry items. Food fraud is easy to commit, hard to detect, and worth billions. And the people paying the price are consumers. Across two programs, Ferguson follows the food trail from Australian supermarkets to international supply chains, revealing how products can be adulterated long before they reach the shopping trolley or are linked to deeply unethical labour practices. Using exclusive forensic testing, undercover reporting and insider accounts, Duped unmasks a lucrative form of organised fraud.

In the second part of a Four Corners investigation, Adele Ferguson follows food supply chains from cocoa farms in West Africa to fruit farms in Australia. Australians love chocolate. We eat more than 160,000 tonnes of it each year. It is sold to us as a guilt-free pleasure. But few consumers know where cocoa comes from, or who pays the price for producing it. In the second part of this major Four Corners investigation, Gold Walkley winner Adele Ferguson follows food supply chains from cocoa farms in West Africa to fruit farms in Australia, exposing the hidden human cost behind everyday food items. This is the story behind the food on our supermarket shelves, the workers we rarely see, and the promises and labels consumers are asked to trust. After watching, you may never look at the food on your supermarket shelves the same way again. The investigation begins in West Africa, where much of the world's cocoa is grown, and goes inside the multibillion-dollar industry, where ethical certifications and sustainability claims on chocolate wrappers promise consumers they are making the right choice. With rare access to remote communities and cocoa farms in Ghana, Four Corners examines whether these promises stand up to scrutiny. Returning to Australia, Adele Ferguson traces the fruit on our supermarket shelves back to the farms where it is grown, hearing from workers who say exploitation is happening here too. Across two continents, this investigation asks why exploitation persists despite decades of promises to stamp it out, and who is responsible for ensuring the food Australian's buy is produced fairly?

President Trump's escalating campaign to pressure the "fiercely independent" Federal Reserve and Jerome Powell into cutting interest rates threatens the central bank's autonomy, with ramifications reaching far beyond the US.

Anne Connolly investigates the government's new "once-in-a-generation" aged care reforms - finding families waiting in limbo and a secretive algorithm that experts say often gets funding wrong.

Four Corners investigates Australia's lobbying industry, where top operators reveal how they win access to ministers, as critics say lax regulation leaves the system open to undue influence.

The Christian Brothers faced more abuse claims than any Catholic order in Australia - and now say they're broke. Four Corners investigates, with the Chair of the schools' body giving his only interview about the Brothers' financial turmoil.

Chinese EVs are surging in Australia, but their cameras, microphones and internet connectivity expose gaps in our privacy and cyber security laws. Four Corners investigates the risks of surveillance and sabotage.

Four Corners investigates the forces driving One Nation's growing influence, how the party operates and whether it's ready for power.

Australian veterans put their lives at risk serving their country, now their lives are at risk in a system that's failing them. There are more than half a million veterans across the country, many of them living with the physical and mental scars of their service, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs is responsible for their welfare. In 2022 the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide found delays in processing claims was causing harm to veterans. In response, the government invested more than half a billion dollars to clear the backlog and improve services, opening the door to private for-profit companies to move in, and move in they did. This week on Four Corners, reporter Elise Worthington exposes how behind the flashy marketing campaigns companies are squeezing veterans and taxpayers to maximise profits and investigates the lucrative business model enriching shareholders at the expense of vulnerable ex-servicemen and women. From dispensing medicinal cannabis without seeing a GP to charging exorbitant fees for writing reports, sharing private medical information, taking a cut of compensation claims and billing DVA for services that weren't provided, this failure to regulate predatory billing targeting veterans is costing the Australian public millions.

The story of Iran - the protests, the war and beyond - as told by those who lived it. Features footage and first-hand accounts of Iranian citizens giving a rare glimpse of what the conflict was like for those on the ground.

Four Corners looks at how being pregnant can still cost Australian women their jobs. Being pregnant or a mother can still cost women their jobs, decades after the Sex Discrimination Act started. From the factory floor to the executive suite, pregnancy discrimination remains part of workplace culture in Australia. One of the organisations that tracks the issue across three states says calls have increased significantly in the last two years, with 600 complaints about pregnancy discrimination in the last financial year alone. Experts say many women don't pursue a legal claim and those who do must navigate a complex and expensive system, often with lengthy delays. Some are now calling for change, including a legislative overhaul to address systemic issues that prejudice women during this significant time in their lives and careers. Four Corners' reporter Avani Dias has spoken to women who say they've been fired, demoted, discriminated against, or offered sham redundancies when they were pregnant or returning to work after the birth of a child. More than 100 women told Four Corners they experienced pregnancy discrimination and, after analysing the data, the program reveals the tactics used by employers against working mothers and pregnant women in the workplace.