Background Briefing

About Background Briefing

Background Briefing is the ABC's flagship investigative journalism podcast. Its award-winning investigations and documentaries expose cover-ups, corruption, real-life mysteries, whistleblowing, crime, fraud and miscarriages of justice — often before these stories receive mainstream attention. The Background Briefing podcast brings you true stories not everyone will want you to hear, told by trusted reporters across Australia. This Australian podcast makes investigative journalism bingeable. From scams and fraud to schooling and health scandals, tech and social media digs, police exposes and various unsolved cases, each episode of the Background Briefing podcast is a must-listen. Recent series include: Hometown Boys exposed how a terrible crime fractured a local community around a local football club. The Invisible Killer: a forensic investigation into unexplained deaths in aged care after a doctor makes an unusual discovery. The Favourite: how a schoolyard secret stayed hidden for years. Stop and Search, which uncovered the mechanics of power and police accountability. Before and After investigated medical hype, telehealth, body image, cosmetic procedures and consumer risk. Beef: how small feuds escalate into serious disputes.

Publisher

ABC Australia

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Jun 1992

Latest episode

10 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

89 of 894 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   10 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   03 'This Bloody Machine' | The Empty Chapel

   Host Sarah Ferguson interviews Dr. Jane Smith, a leading oncologist, about the challenges and potential of a new proton cancer treatment center in Sydney.

2. 

   3 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   02 'This Bloody Machine' | The Other Plan

   Sue Bleasel navigates challenges to her proton therapy plan as an insider reveals developer secrets, offering insights into the complex Sydney project.

3. 

   27 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   01 'This Bloody Machine' | Jewel in the Crown

   Sue Bleasel, a determined advocate, races against time to secure a life-saving proton therapy machine for Australia, facing critical questions before construction begins.

Inside a recent episode

03 'This Bloody Machine' | The Empty Chapel

Published 10 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And they've got these stairs that kind of curve down that lead down to the radiation rooms. The Head of Radiation Oncology, Sandro Porchetto, gives me a tour. Hi Sandro, how are you going? How are you? Thanks for coming. Thanks for having me. Yes. Can we start with a tour of the bunker down here? Please, join us. Thank you. So here is where our linear accelerators are housed and this is where And he tells me what they're planning to do is put in this super modern compact proton therapy unit. The advantage of that is it doesn't require a new bill. We can fit that into an existing bunker, which means that within around 24 months, we'd be able to deliver proton beam therapy. […]

Who has been a guest on Background Briefing

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Sue Bleasel
• Julia Bergin
• Loretta Florance
• Maddison Connaughton

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

34 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

139 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 52 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

65

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

96