Secrets We Keep_LiSTNR

Behind The White Line | Ep 3 | The Kenya job

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:00:41 +0000

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.

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Behind The White Line | Ep 2 | Taking the bait

Thu, 28 May 2026 03:18:41 +0000

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://thewest.com.au/podcasts/behind-the-white-line/behind-the-white-line-cartel-crackdown-over-1-billion-cocaine-rip-off-fears--c-22343809

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Behind The White Line | Ep 1 | A plan is hatched

Wed, 20 May 2026 16:00:00 +0000

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 Enforcement Agency (DEA) hatches a brazen plan with local cops from the small city of Perth, Western Australia, called Operation Beech.

Read more of The West Australian's coverage here:

Behind The White Line: New podcast delves into turf war following huge cocaine seizure during Operation Beech

Behind the White Line: International cocaine sting which caused turf war between AFP, WA Police, and US agents

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Behind The White Line - Podcast drops tomorrow

Wed, 20 May 2026 07:02:50 +0000

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 and coke users, Behind the White Line, examines the human cost of the world’s glamour drug hosted by investigative journalist Richard Baker.

Available from 21 May on LiSTNR's Secrets We Keep, on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Introducing: Behind The White Line

Mon, 18 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Available from 21 May on LiSTNR's Secrets We Keep, on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 6 | A growing threat

Mon, 18 May 2026 19:52:07 +0000

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 attracts people like Freeman) Michael speaks with legal expert Harry Hobbs, who has been closely tracking the rise of sovereign citizen ideology in Australia.

Harry breaks down the beliefs at the core of the movement, who it attracts, how it spreads online, and what the Dezi Freeman case reveals about where this is heading.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.

Listen to the podcast on Secrets We Keep or watch the vodcast on 7Plus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 5 | The making of Dezi Freeman

Wed, 13 May 2026 18:45:00 +0000

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 he became radicalised.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.

Listen to the podcast on Secrets We Keep or watch the vodcast on 7Plus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 4 | My beautiful boy

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:45:00 +0000

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 Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart. They explore who these men were, the lives they lived, and the lasting impact of their deaths.

Cassie also speaks with Victorian Police Association CEO Wayne Gatt about how the force coped with the grief and trauma of losing two of their own while carrying out one of the largest manhunts in Victorian history.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.

Listen to the podcast on Secrets We Keep or watch the vodcast on 7Plus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 3 | The force that never gave up

Wed, 06 May 2026 18:45:00 +0000

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 resilience of the officers who stayed the course, and the deeply confronting evidence they uncovered, including allegations of child sex abuse and hundreds of child exploitation files found on Freeman’s computers.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.

Listen to the podcast on Secrets We Keep or watch the vodcast on 7Plus.

CONTENT WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS REFERENCES TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE, GUN VIOLENCE AND SUICIDE. LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

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Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 2 | Inside the operation

Mon, 04 May 2026 18:45:00 +0000

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 the high-stakes surveillance, the planning behind the takedown, and the risks facing officers on the ground, as they closed in on one of Australia’s most wanted fugitives.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.

Listen to the podcast on Secrets We Keep or watch the vodcast on 7Plus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 1 | The final 24 hours

Sat, 02 May 2026 18:45:00 +0000

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 of the largest and most intensive manhunts in recent Australian history.

7NEWS journalist Michael Usher and Crime Editor Cassie Zervos take you inside the case from every angle — what happened, how it unfolded, Freeman’s ideology, and the impact on those left behind.

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt is a 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.

Listen to the podcast on Secrets We Keep or watch the vodcast on 7Plus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Dezi Freeman: The Hunt

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 06:55:11 +0000

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 7NEWS and LiSTNR co-production.

Listen to the podcast here or watch the vodcast on 7+.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children in the Pictures Bonus: Jon Rouse, the man behind Taskforce Argos

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:45:00 +0000

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 internet.

The series exposes the scale of abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In this bonus episode of The Children in the Pictures, Jon Rouse reveals he had no idea what he was getting into when he joined Taskforce Argos to set up their first internet investigation. What he found was a problem so vast and unique that he needed to petition for legislation to catch up with the crimes his team was fighting.

If you'd like to hear more of Brent Sanders interviewing detectives about their careers, search "Crime Insiders" and look for episodes titled 'Detectives'.

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

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The Children in the Pictures | Ep 8 | The Hope and the Good

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:45:00 +0000

The series exposes the scale of abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In episode eight, The Love Zone is gone for good, but the threat remains. Akhim Dev hears from experts and investigators about the next frontier of child exploitation, which is leaving kids vulnerable to grooming, blackmail and extortion— and starting earlier than parents would ever suspect.

Dev realises he must move from documentary observer, to messenger for children’s rights. As he is given access to global halls of power, Dev explores how we can help victim-survivors, and how parents like himself can educate their kids to keep them from harm.

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 7 | A Perfect Match

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:45:00 +0000

The series exposes the scale of abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In episode seven, prolific abuser K has been careful to hide his identity, but a digital slip up has led Argos to a crucial clue.

And while their investigation into The Love Zone is their most successful yet, the strain of the job is starting to take its toll. So how do you balance your work saving children’s lives, without damaging your own?

The fight to bring you the story of The Love Zone leads to a surprising encounter with the former kingpin, Shannon McCoole, in an Australian court. It raises questions about how we can stop perpetrators from continuing to hurt children.

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 6 | The Glitch

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:45:00 +0000

The series exposes the scale of abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In episode six, a glitch on The Love Zone site puts Argos’ operation in jeopardy.

The Love Zone’s most obsessive moderator is beginning to suspect the site has been infiltrated by law enforcement.

Argos must act quickly to throw off the scent— triggering a global police operation that spans three continents . Then, the team sets its sights on one of the most prolific abusers ever encountered— for legal reasons, we call him K.

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 5 | The Job of Being Evil

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:45:00 +0000

The series exposes the scale of abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In episode five, the Argos team set out to impersonate the head of an online child abuse board. Although not an easy task, the team see it as the only way they can find and save vulnerable children around the world.

As their hunt leads them to Europe, back in Australia, Shannon McCoole’s home town of Adelaide deals with the shockwaves of discovering the horrifying access this abuser had to kids in the community.

And Akhim Dev learns how children who are victim-survivors come back from their abuse, with strength and storytelling.

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 4 | The Takeover

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:45:00 +0000

The series exposes the scale of abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In episode four, the police move in and confront Skee at his home. His real name is Shannon McCoole.

Hear never-before-shared police footage of McCoole’s dramatic arrest and prison interviews that reveal the full extent of the power he wielded as head of The Love Zone.

McCoole’s arrest presents Argos with a rare opportunity to hunt down TLZ’s most depraved operators, one by one.

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 3 | The Anti-Social Network

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:45:00 +0000

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 abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In episode three, Argos are closing in on The Love Zone’s head administrator Skee. Documentary maker Akhim Dev travels internationally to speak to experts who work directly with abusers, in order to find out why they’re so hard to stop.

Back in Queensland, Taskforce Argos try a new tactic in their search for Skee, with unexpected results. They’re going in…

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 2 | Crimes Without Borders

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:45:00 +0000

The series exposes the scale of abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In episode two, Taskforce Argos has VIP access to one of the most restricted online child abuse boards on the dark net – The Love Zone. Police begin their hunt for the kingpin of the network: head administrator Skee.

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 1 | Down the Rabbit Hole

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:45:00 +0000

The series exposes the scale of abuse, the emotional toll on those working to stop it, and the disturbing ways technology is being used to harm children worldwide.

In Episode One, Australian documentary-maker and father of two Akhim Dev takes an unexpected tour of the dark web and discovers an epidemic hidden in plain sight: online child exploitation material.

Content Warning: This series delves with sexual abuse against children. Listener discretion is advised.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Unmasking the alleged torturer turned Bondi nanny | Part 2

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:08:40 +0000

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.

While living in Sydney’s Bondi, working as a nanny, Rivas was wanted in Chile for crimes against humanity. In a rare and revealing conversation, she describes how she fled Chile while on bail — paying smugglers to escape through the Andes before returning to Australia, where she had lived since the late 1970s.

In this episode, we hear how Rivas justifies torture, glorifies a brutal regime, and reflects on the power she once held.

More on this story:

The Other 9/11
ABC Foreign Correspondent, Facing the Past
More on Australia’s involvement in Chile: 'Last thing he wanted was to embarrass the CIA': Inside Whitlam's 'agonising' decision to shut Australian spy operation in Chile

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

Credits:

Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Unmasking the alleged torturer turned Bondi nanny | Part 1

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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 Chile in 1973.

What began as a deep dive into Cold War espionage led somewhere unexpected: to Bondi, and to a woman accused of being part of Chile’s machinery of torture.

More on this story:

The Other 9/11
ABC Foreign Correspondent, Facing the Past
More on Australia’s involvement in Chile: 'Last thing he wanted was to embarrass the CIA': Inside Whitlam's 'agonising' decision to shut Australian spy operation in Chile

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

Credits:

Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Smuggling out proof of the secret war on Australia's doorstep

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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 allegedly bombing indigenous communities with high-tech explosives and drones.

He gathered evidence of these extreme measures right on Australia’s doorstep and smuggled it back to confront a multi-billion-dollar weapons manufacturer about its role in the bloodshed.

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

Credits:

Reporter/Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Sound Design: Matt Curry and Matt Nikolic
Fact check: Madeline Larsen
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Discovering your boyfriend was a cop spying on you | Part 2

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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 protest groups, forming intimate and sexual relationships with their targets -sometimes for years- leaving a trail of betrayal and heartbreak behind.

In this two-part tell-all interview, Wendy and Ellie take us through a 17-year-long deception so cruel that it's almost impossible to comprehend.

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

If this episode raises issues for you, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1322 46 36.

Credits:

Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Sound Design: Matt Curry
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Discovering your boyfriend was a cop spying on you | Part 1

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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.

In this two-part tell-all interview, Wendy and Ellie take us through a 17-year-long deception so cruel that it's almost impossible to comprehend.

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

If this episode raises issues for you, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1322 46 36.

Credits:

Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Sound Design: Matt Curry
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Exposing the Bondi gunmen's ISIS links

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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, while undercover, met Naveed Akram and his father, the men allegedly later responsible for the Bondi Beach terror attack. Marcus gathered intelligence, faced life-threatening risks, and witnessed individuals on a path to violence. He says he warned ASIO of Naveed being a potential threat, but authorities disagreed with his assessment.

Through Sean’s reporting, we go inside Australia’s hidden world of counterterrorism and see how Marcus’s actions intersected with one of Sydney’s most serious domestic terror plots, offering a rare insight into national security, radicalisation, and the human cost of undercover work.

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

Four Corners episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHnaHHC8Q9c

ASIO's statement in response to the ABC's Four Corners: https://www.asio.gov.au/asio-statement-four-corners

Credits:

Reporter/Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Fact Check: Holly Mitchell
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Confronting Prince Andrew on Epstein

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +0000

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 negotiations, careful strategy, and extraordinary moments, as she confronted the now former prince over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations of trafficked victim Virginia Giuffre.

What was meant to be a controlled PR exercise instead became a global reckoning, exposing the limits of truth, power and privilege; triggering a call for accountability.

Emily Maitlis is appearing at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center in an event hosted by the Wheeler Center on the 5th of March. She'll also be speaking at the All About Women Festival in Sydney on the 8th of March.

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

Check out The Weekend Briefing's interview with Emily Maitlis here: https://play.listnr.com/podcast/the-briefing/episode/meet-the-journalist-who-brought-down-prince-andrew

Credits:

Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Fact Check: Madeline Larsen
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Exposing hero surgeon's maggot-infested patient

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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 doctor protected by glowing media reports, and how she fought in court to defend the truth.

Dr Munjed Al Muderis is scheduled to appeal the court's findings in mid 2026.

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

Credits:

Reporter/Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Fact Check and Production Support: Holly Mitchell
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BONUS | Unveiling the motives behind the Christchurch terrorist’s appeal

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 04:30:00 +0000

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 what would reopening this case mean for survivors and the families of the victims?

Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor host Joey Watson joins The Briefing's Sacha Barbour Gatt for a deep dive into the real motivations that lie behind the terrorist's legal battle.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lone Actor | Investigating the Christchurch terrorist

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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 retraces the terrorist’s trajectory in the years leading up to the attack, revealing the networks, influences, and failures that shaped one of the most devastating crimes in our region.

Joey speaks with survivors, researchers, and those who crossed the attacker’s path, as he begins to uncover a far more complex story. What, or who, led him to violence?

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Infiltrating an LSD-fuelled neo-Nazi goat sacrifice

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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 perils of going deep cover.

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

Credits:

Reporter/Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Fact Check: Holly Mitchell
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered | Exposing the government’s false case for war

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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 to war.

Got any tips? Email us at secretswekeep@sca.com.au.

Credits:

Reporter/Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Fact Check: Holly Mitchell
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sneak Peek | Uncovered returns on Tuesday 27 January

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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, Sharon Graham's murder trial finally gets underway, but it's not long before it faces multiple setbacks. Tara Cassidy shares key evidence and witness testimony from Sharon’s trial, as well as the aftermath of her verdict. Tara also speaks with some of those closest to this case on the lasting impacts of their experiences years on.

All people convicted of murder related to this case have lodged to appeal the outcomes. The appeals are expected to be heard and handed down in 2026.

The Secrets we Keep feed will bring you new investigations and stories in January 2026.

In the meantime, if you have any story tips, please email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Killer Charm | Ep 5 | Rare Brand of Evil

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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, Police make arrests, but before any trials begin, the case takes a major turn. Tara Cassidy speaks to a witness who reveals damning new information about Greg Roser, and part of the truth is finally told.

All people convicted of murder related to this case have lodged to appeal the outcomes. The appeals are expected to be heard and handed down in 2026.

The Secrets we Keep feed will bring you new investigations and stories in January 2026.

In the meantime, if you have any story tips, please email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Killer Charm | Ep 4 | Surveillance

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:45:00 +0000

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, the police investigation ramps up, all while Sharon Graham is trying to present herself as the mourning ex-girlfriend. Tara Cassidy speaks to those who could see through Sharon’s guise, and plays never-before-aired covert recordings that the police captured, which helped build their case.

All people convicted of murder related to this case have lodged to appeal the outcomes. The appeals are expected to be heard and handed down in 2026.

The Secrets we Keep feed will bring you new investigations and stories in January 2026.

In the meantime, if you have any story tips, please email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Killer Charm | Ep 3 | Seven Wills

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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, Sharon Graham’s movements on the night of the murder are under scrutiny, as suspicions around her grow. Tara Cassidy tracks down some of Sharon’s exes to find out what she was like as a partner, and if she’s ever shown signs of planning something sinister before.

All people convicted of murder related to this case have lodged to appeal the outcomes. The appeals are expected to be heard and handed down in 2026.

The Secrets we Keep feed will bring you new investigations and stories in January 2026.

In the meantime, if you have any story tips, please email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Killer Charm | Ep 2 | Muffin

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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, Tara Cassidy speaks to those closest to the grandmother, who was now one of the police’s main murder suspects. Tara unravels the different sides Sharon presented to people, and starts to see some patterns in her behaviour, especially around money and men.

All people convicted of murder related to this case have lodged to appeal the outcomes. The appeals are expected to be heard and handed down in 2026.

The Secrets we Keep feed will bring you new investigations and stories in January 2026.

In the meantime, if you have any story tips, please email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Killer Charm | Ep 1 | The 'Accident'

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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 people convicted of murder related to this case have lodged to appeal the outcomes. The appeals are expected to be heard and handed down in 2026.

The Secrets we Keep feed will bring you new investigations and stories in January 2026.

In the meantime, if you have any story tips, please email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered – How undercover police radicalised an autistic child | Part 2

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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 deeper into danger, the devastating moment they learned the state had pursued a criminal case against a child with significant cognitive vulnerabilities, and how a system meant to protect their son instead put him at greater risk.

Their account, alongside the court’s damning findings, that police conduct fell “profoundly short” of acceptable standards, raises questions about policing, oversight, and how a terrorism prevention program turned into an institutional failure.

Right of Reply:

The Secrets We Keep: Uncovered team contacted the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police for comment.

The AFP declined to answer our questions and instead referred us to previous on-the-record comments made by Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney in 2024 regarding this matter:

Senate Estimates LINK
Parliamentary Joint Committee LINK

Victoria Police Response:

“Victoria Police in partnership with community groups and other areas of government agencies delivers dedicated therapeutic early intervention programs which directly engage with and support individuals assessed as being vulnerable to, or holding violent extremist beliefs. Programs involve case management activity which may include connecting individuals with mentors, psychological counselling, and educational or vocational opportunities.

“Victoria Police does not publicly provide specific details of the operations or programs of this nature. This is partly to ensure we maintain the confidentiality needs of all of those involved. The community can be reassured that we remain committed to working with the community and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies to divert those vulnerable to radicalising towards violent extremism to a different path, assist those who are already holding violent extremist beliefs to disengage, and ensure the safety and security of the Victorian public.”

Victoria Police also claimed that to their knowledge, the Imam assigned to the family through their CVE program did not record without the family’s knowledge or consent.

Credits:

Reporter/Producer/Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Fact Check: Holly Mitchell
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered – How undercover police radicalised an autistic child | Part 1

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 20:49:03 +0000

Right of Reply:

The Secrets We Keep: Uncovered team contacted the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police for comment.

The AFP declined to answer our questions and instead referred us to previous on-the-record comments made by Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney in 2024 regarding this matter:

Senate Estimates LINK
Parliamentary Joint Committee LINK

Victoria Police Response:

Victoria Police also claimed that to their knowledge, the Imam assigned to the family through their CVE program did not record without the family’s knowledge or consent.

Credits:

Reporter/Producer/Host: Joey Watson
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Fact Check: Holly Mitchell
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Head of Factual: Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered – Unmasking Australia’s most corrupt cop

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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 Police Force of the 1980s, her own battle to speak out against corruption, the courage required to confront the powerful, and how her evidence helped dismantle a system built on fear, complicity, and silence.

Credits:

Host/Producer: Joey Watson
Producer: Holly Mitchell
Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Sound Design: Matt Nikolic
Fact Check and Archive Research: Lee Chan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered - Secretly recording corrupt politicians in Ibiza

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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: Matt Nikolic
Fact Check: Holly Mitchell

Listen to Secrets we Keep: Lone Actor - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/secrets-we-keep/id1699106866?i=1000716518474

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered - Blowing the whistle on the Butcher of Bega

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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 this episode, Lorraine reflects on how she blew the whistle, the personal cost of speaking out, and what her story reveals about a medical system that struggled to protect women.

Content Warning: this episode contains descriptions of botched medical procedures and indecent assault.

Guest Host: Tara Cassidy

Producer: Claudianna Blanco

Sound Design: Matt Nikolic

Fact Check: Holly Mitchell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered - Infiltrating ‘get-rich-quick’ hustle culture

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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 to expose the reality behind “hustle culture”.

Host: Joey Watson

Producer: Claudianna Blanco

Sound Design: Matt Nikolic

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered – Exposing the AFP’s secret use of facial recognition

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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’s documents for years — revealing disturbing details.

Read Cam Wilson's Investigations here:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered - Hunting Australia's Nazi war criminals (Part 2)

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 17:50:00 +0000

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 accused

This is Part 2 of Hunting Australia’s Nazi War Criminals. You can listen to Part 1 here.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Further links:

Graham Blewitt's book Nazis in Australia

Credits:

Presenter/Producer: Joey Watson
Senior Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Sound designer: Kyle Hopkins
Executive Producer: Ellen Leabeater

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncovered - Hunting Australia's Nazi war criminals (Part 1)

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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 who thought they’d escaped justice.

This is Part 1 of Hunting Australia’s Nazi War Criminals. Part 2 out next Tuesday.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Further links:

Graham Blewitt's book Nazis in Australia
Listen to Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor

Credits:

Presenter/Producer: Joey Watson
Senior Producer: Claudianna Blanco
Sound designer: Kyle Hopkins
Executive Producer: Ellen Leabeater

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Secrets We Keep: Uncovered

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:45:00 +0000

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

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 21:10:00 +0000

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, a wildly successful weed grower who staged a bold prison escape and remained on the run for decades. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Tim reveals why eccentric and sometimes ‘dodgy' characters confide in him and reflects on how his family dealt with his father's mental illness.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jailbreak - Episode 6 - Free Dougie

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 once again, locals rally for clemency. Will he be set free? As his fate hangs in the balance, he examines his choices and comes to a startling understanding of his remarkable life.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming soon - Secrets We Keep: Uncovered

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 05:00:00 +0000

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 breathed them.

The whistleblower who risked everything.

The victim who refused to stay silent.

The journalist who just wouldn’t let it go.

Stories of power, secrecy, and the people who dared challenge both.

Secrets We Keep: Uncovered is an original LiSTNR podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jailbreak - Episode 5 - The Great Escape

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 identity: “Dougie”, the easy-going handyman.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jailbreak - Episode 4 - Model Prisoner

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 decides to escape and starts to devise a plan.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jailbreak - Episode 3 - Busted

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 undetected, Darko’s luck runs out.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jailbreak - Episode 2 - It Was a Boom

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 18:10:00 +0000

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 communist commissar, with a taste for Russian literature decides to stay in Australia any way he can.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jailbreak - Episode 1 - You’ve Been Looking for Me

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 world is amazed, and baffled. How did he escape? How did he evade capture for so long, living under the noses of the police? And who the hell is Darko Desic? Journalist Tim Elliott tracks Darko down and sits down with him for a tell-all interview.

Credits:

Writer and Host - Tim Elliott
Senior Producer - Claudianna Blanco
Executive Producer - Greg Muller
Sound Design - Kyle Hopkins
Fact Checking - Holly Mitchell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonus - The 13 year old Australian charged as a terrorist

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 02:33:45 +0000

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 judge later described as ‘grooming’ him for terrorism.

So, was Thomas ever a real threat? Or just a vulnerable boy pulled into a fantasy world by those meant to protect him?

In this episode, counter-terrorism expert Peta Lowe - who also features in Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor - unpacks the Carrick case and what it reveals about the growing risk of youth radicalisation in Australia.

To hear more content like this, listen to Crime Insiders wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Jailbreak

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 21:00:00 +0000

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 and fate, crime and punishment, and the search for meaning.

Jailbreak is an original podcast from LiSTNR.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonus - Joey answers your questions

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:00:00 +0000

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

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 19:00:00 +0000

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 information.

Lone Actor - Episode 6 - Skull Mask Network

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 17:25:00 +0000

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 the terrorist’s radicalisation to violence?

If you have a question for Joey, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lone Actor - Episode 5 - The defence of Europe

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 17:20:00 +0000

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 the links between the pair was compromised. Joey travels to Vienna to find out what happened.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lone Actor - Episode 4 - The Balkans

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 17:15:00 +0000

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 Europe knew what was coming.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lone Actor - Episode 3 - In the scene

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 17:10:00 +0000

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 the violence that he would go on to commit.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lone Actor - Episode 2 - Shitposting

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 17:05:00 +0000

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.

Joey sifts through newly unearthed posts made anonymously by the terrorist, finding a crucial shift in his radicalisation journey.

Lone Actor - Episode 1 - March 15

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 17:00:00 +0000

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 terrorist to violence?

In Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor, Joey sets out to retrace the terrorist's trajectory in the years leading up to the attack.

Credits:

Creator and Host - Joey Watson
Senior Producer - Romy Sher
Executive Producer - Ellen Leabeater
Sound Designer - Nat Marshall
Fact Checking - Holly Mitchell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Lone Actor

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 04:20:00 +0000

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 terrorist and asks: Was he really acting alone? The series journeys from the darkest corners of the internet to the other side of the world, exposing the murky forces behind the deadliest terror attack ever committed by an Australian.

Binge the full series of Lone Actor exclusively on the LiSTNR app, download the app for free. New episodes released weekly.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By Any Means - Episode 6 - Baby Brokers

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 17:25:00 +0000

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 touch, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By Any Means - Episode 5 - The Surrogacy Sisterhood

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 Surrogacy Sisterhood retreat – a first for any Australian journalist.

Then, we meet a couple risking it all to undertake commercial international surrogacy in Latin America. And ask the question – how can you trust a clinic is doing the right thing abroad?

If you would like to get in touch email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By Any Means - Episode 4 - Magic Potion

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 really the best solution?

You can find all episodes of By Any Means for free on the LiSTNR app.

If you want to get in touch, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By Any Means - Episode 3 - 700 Siblings

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 anguish of not knowing your medical history.

You can find all episodes of By Any Means for free on the LiSTNR app.

If you know more, or want to share your story, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By Any Means - Episode 2 - Russellpalooza

Tue, 27 May 2025 18:10:00 +0000

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 1980s, and Guy, a man who found out in adulthood he had been conceived with anonymous donor sperm, following Victoria’s decision to become the first state in Australia to establish a registry for donor-conceived children.

If you want to get in touch email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By Any Means - Episode 1 - That Infertility Feeling

Tue, 27 May 2025 18:00:00 +0000

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 through infertility treatment in Queensland and successfully give birth to one of the state’s first ‘test tube babies’.

Amelia speaks to the doctors who pioneered IVF in Australia, to understand the thinking behind the fertility industry’s early choice of persuading their patients to keep the truth of conception secret from the children born from anonymous sperm donations.

You can hear all episodes of By Any Means now on the LiSTNR app.

If you want to get in touch, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Credits:

Creator and Host - Amelia Oberhardt
Additional Reporting - Claudianna Blanco
Senior Producers - Claudianna Blanco and Romy Sher
Executive Producer - Ellen Leabeater
Sound Design - Kyle Hopkins
Fact Checking - Holly Mitchell and Madeline Larson
Head of Factual - Clair Weaver

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing By Any Means

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 17:00:00 +0000

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 parents, adult children and clinicians about the ‘wild west’ of the modern fertility landscape, confronting complex questions about consent, identity and human rights.

By Any Means is available everywhere from May 28. Or download the LiSTNR app and listen for free now.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should I Spit? - Episode 9 - Eye of Sauron

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:40:00 +0000

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 National Archives. The Angie Dodge murder is finally solved but a final tragic twist shocks everyone involved.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should I Spit? - Episode 8 - FIGG

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:35:00 +0000

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 a distant relative of Michael’s was responsible for the murder. Claire discovers in this episode of ShouldI Spit? exactly how science and intelligence combine in the powerful new investigative technique of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should I Spit? - Episode 7 - Secrets of the Pharaohs

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:30:00 +0000

Claire learns the details about the original study which took the DNA samples from Michael’s father; from its religious origins to how the data eventually became part of Ancestry’s database. The police have another investigative lead to Angie’s killer, an image created purely from the DNA taken from the crime scene. Detectives show it to Michael’s family, convinced the killer lurks somewhere in his family tree.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

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Should I Spit? - Episode 6 - Sins of the Father

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:25:00 +0000

Although Michael is no longer a murder suspect, his male cousins are scrutinised. The Idaho Falls police are trialing a new technology which predicts someone’s physical appearance based on DNA samples. Michael’s sceptical about the science and fears the police are searching deeper in his family to find Angie’s killer. Episode 6 of Should I Spit? reveals forensic genetic genealogy is enthusiastically embraced by the Australian police with no new privacy legislation and little public scrutiny.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

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Should I Spit? - Episode 5 - Psychological Rubberhose

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:20:00 +0000

A man called Chris Tapp has been in prison for 20 years for the death of Angie, but his DNA was never found at the crime scene. For Angie’s mother, Carol it doesn’t make sense, and she goes from initially calling for this man’s execution to being his greatest advocate. Carol then pushes the police to use a new technique of forensic genealogy. However, fears this new technique threaten both people’s right to privacy and their presumption of innocence begin to surface.

Meanwhile, Claire discovers that Australia started its own criminal DNA database following a mass DNA screening operation in rural New South Wales.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

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Should I Spit? - Episode 4 - This is the Place

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:15:00 +0000

Claire attends RootsTech, the world’s largest family history conference to learn why genealogy is such a popular hobby. There, Claire learns how the LDS Church and Ancestry have amassed billions of records worldwide and turned the mapping of family trees into a multi-billion dollar industry. Meanwhile, Michael continues to investigate how he’s been caught up in the Angie Dodge investigation, so he travels to Idaho Falls to meet Angie’s mother, Carol.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

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Should I Spit? - Episode 3 - Eternal Families

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:10:00 +0000

In this episode of Should I spit?, Claire discovers how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is inextricably linked with the history of genetics and genealogy, through the church’s doctrines and rituals. Michael is shocked to learn that he was identified through a blood sample his father donated at his local church. Michael’s DNA doesn’t match and is cleared by police, however, he is shaken and wants answers. He can’t understand how the police linked him and his family to Angie’s murder. Michael is approached by a journalist who discovers the Idaho Falls Police had quietly been using a new forensic identification technique called Familial Searching. Using this method, police found Michael based on DNA information stored in a publicly-available genealogy database owned by Ancestry.com.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

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Should I Spit? - Episode 2 - The Warrant

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:05:00 +0000

Claire travels to Salt Lake City to meet Michael Usry, a Mississippi man who was implicated in the brutal murder of Idaho Falls teen Angie Dodge years earlier. The police suspect Michael because his name, appearance and age match the confession of a man in jail, believed to be his accomplice. Michael is also a horror filmmaker whose dark film features similarities to Angie’s murder. In episode two of Should I Spit?, The police interrogate Michael and force him to give his DNA under a court order. The police tell Michael they also have DNA evidence which links him to the crime.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

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Should I Spit? - Episode 1 - The Beacon

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000

While working on a cybersecurity podcast, journalist Claire Aird reads a startling statistic: Ninety per cent of people with European ancestry in the US are identifiable because of DNA data their relatives have uploaded to a family history database. Claire’s curiosity soon becomes an investigation into how our DNA is being used for power and profit. In this episode of Should I Spit?, Claire finds out that the DNA data on genealogy sites is never fully anonymous, so she starts to interrogate how police really use these sites to hunt for criminals, overseas and in Australia.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

Credits:

Creator, writer, researcher - Claire Aird
Senior Producer - Claudianna Blanco
Producers - Holly Mithcell, Romy Sher
Executive Producer - Greg Muller, Emma Lancaster, Belinda Lopez and Jen Goggin.
Sound Design - Nial Fernandes

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Introducing Should I Spit?

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 01:42:11 +0000

DNA is the blueprint for life. While police call it the ‘gold standard’ for forensic identification, transnational corporations see dollar signs. Investigative journalist Claire Aird brings the untold story of how your DNA data can land you in a murder investigation, and how this same data is amassed for power and profit. Should I Spit? is the origin story of the multibillion dollar consumer DNA industry. From police hoping to solve cold murder cases, to one of the most powerful churches in the world, everyone seems to want a piece of what makes you, you.

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Pray Harder - Bonus - An update

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 23:00:00 +0000

Richard gives an update on Todd Hubers plea hearing and shares two more important stories from women who grew up in the Revival Church movement.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14; 1800 Respect 1800 737 732

Looking for what to listen to next? Try Crime In Focus: Killer Charm, the story of how a grandmother from suburban Queensland orchestrated the murder of her ex-partner.

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Pray Harder – Episode 9 - Love and Reckoning

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:55:00 +0000

Someone Richard wasn’t sure would ever talk to him is ready to speak.

The church is rocked by the news of Pastor Noel’s death, and questions remain about whether new leadership will create change, or continue with the status quo.

Richard returns to ex-members of the GRC, who have found support in each other and their families after the isolation of leaving the church. They’ve discovered the antidote to the GRC’s abuse of power and violence. It’s love.

The interviews in this series were recorded during Pastor Noel Hollins leadership of the Geelong Revival Centre. During production, Pastor Noel died. The experiences and allegations raised do not relate to the current leadership of the GRC

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14; 1800 Respect 1800 737 732

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Pray Harder – Episode 8 - Rebellion

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:50:00 +0000

Rumours abound of how Pastor Noel Hollins has used his finances to erase controversies in his church.

Richard Baker’s investigation into how the Geelong Revival Centre maintains a tax-free charity status and where it uses its funds takes him to war-torn Sierra Leone. And former GRC Pastor Steve Mills finally goes head to head with Noel Hollins when he tries to protect members of the church.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Pray Harder – Episode 7 - Good Soldiers

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:45:00 +0000

In the Geelong Revival Centre, men are responsible for the entire family’s salvation. If the father does something wrong, his wife and children are at risk of going to hell.

We hear from men who have defied the church’s expectations, despite the threat of physical punishment in this life,and eternal punishment in the next. But those who comply also pay a terrible price for their obedience.

And Richard is one step closer to understanding Pastor Noel Hollins, when he sees a missed call on his phone. Richard calls the Pastor back, and this time he answers.

Please note this episode contains adult themes including descriptions of violence and homophobia, as well as discussions regarding suicide, and harmful drug and alcohol use. Listener discretion is advised.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Pray Harder – Episode 6 - A Spiritual Problem

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 17:35:00 +0000

As a pastor in the church, Steve Mills watched on horrified as church members shunned or delayed medical care because of Pastor Noel Hollins relentless attacks on science and medicine.

When someone is diagnosed with an illness, they are told it is only through prayer—not conventional medicine—that they will be saved. And when people die of treatable illnesses, those left grieving are told they should've “prayed harder”.

From the pulpit Pastor Noel’s teachings empower men in the church to interfere in the private health affairs of others— with sometimes tragic results.

Steve Mills realises he must challenge Pastor Noel directly.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Pray Harder – Episode 5 - A Proverbs 31 Woman

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 17:30:00 +0000

The Geelong Revival Centre wants the women in its church to be straight out of Proverbs 31 in the Bible: virtuous, god-fearing, and dedicating her life to her husband and family— and to expect very little in return.

Unmarried women can’t approach men to date, and they can’t marry without the Pastor’s permission. Those who are seen to fail as virtuous women find themselves interrogated and watched by members of the church. Men are also punished for their transgressions. But women carry the stain.

Meanwhile, former GRC Pastor Steve Mills suggests one way Richard can secure Noel’s attention.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Pray Harder – Episode 4 - You Were Never a Teenager Were You Pastor Hollins?

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 17:25:00 +0000

Inside the Geelong Revival Centre teenagers live a double life. They’re given zero freedoms, like small children, but they’re expected to live an adult life of religious devotion while still growing up.

Pastor Noel Hollins is at war with the internet, pop music, and socialising outside of the church. He labels them as dangerous, but ex-church members say real dangers lie inside the GRC.

Richard Baker uncovers the fallout from growing up inside the GRC, including stories of social ostracism, deep psychological trauma and distressing allegations by abuse victims, who say the church tried to silence them.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Pray Harder – Episode 3 - The Lost Tribe

Sat, 30 Nov 2024 18:25:00 +0000

How did Noel Hollins become the leader of the Geelong Revival Centre? A surprising rebellion is hidden in the history of his long and authoritarian rule.

Richard Baker unearths Noel’s beginnings and explores some of the stranger beliefs the church preaches, including about Pyramids and the British Royal Family’s connection to Geelong. Even some of the most loyal members of the GRC find themselves questioning the church— with repercussions.

Richard realises that if he really wants to understand Pastor Noel, he needs to find a way to speak to him personally.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Pray Harder – Episode 2 - I’ll Give You Something to Cry About

Sat, 30 Nov 2024 18:20:00 +0000

In the beachside town of Geelong, most kids look forward to endless summer days, while children in the Geelong Revival Centre wait for the end of days.

GRC kids are told they’re always being watched. By their parents, their Pastor, and their God. They expect this constant surveillance, and the threat of violence if they step out of line.

Insider recordings of GRC leader Pastor Noel Hollins reveal how he promoted corporal punishment for children, and we learn how church parents were pressured to enforce these rules on their own kids.

Outspoken defectors of the GRC confide in journalist Richard Baker, he hears how from Pastor Noel’s pulpit, children learn to receive the Holy Spirit to keep the devil at bay. And what happens in the church, stays in the church.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

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Pray Harder – Episode 1 – Noel's War

Sat, 30 Nov 2024 18:15:00 +0000

A story too big to ignore is drawing journalist Richard Baker back to his home town of Geelong.

The chosen people of a strict Pentecostal church claim to have seen miracles happen, and expect to be among the few saved when Armageddon comes. But for some, the Geelong Revival Centre has brought the opposite of salvation.

Ex-members are speaking out about the pain, control, and heartbreak they’ve endured under the rule of Pastor Noel Hollins, the leader of the church for the past 50 years. Richard meets some of these brave ex-members, many who are speaking out for the first time, as they share what it’s like to grow up in the GRC.

Do you know more? Get in touch secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14

Credits:

Producer and reporter - Richard Baker
Series Producer - Romy Sher
Assisting producer - Ed Gooden
Executive Producers - Emma Lancaster and Belinda Lopez
Sound design - Darcy Thomson
Fact check - Bension Seibert
Additional production assistance and theme vocals - Mathew Dwyer.
Head of Factual and Drama for LiSTNR Original Podcasts - Jennifer Goggin.
Special thanks to Story consultant Kate Cole Adams

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Introducing Pray Harder

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 18:40:00 +0000

The end of the world is coming for members of a Geelong Church. It’s been looming for over 50 years. And only the chosen few will be saved.

Follow investigative journalist Richard Baker as he returns to his home town to investigate one of Australia’s most hardline Pentecostal churches and the man who led it.

This series goes deep inside the secretive group and the disturbing doctrine of Pastor Noel Hollins.

Richard Baker has received hundreds of hours of audio recordings that reveal the inner teachings of the doomsday group. He speaks to ex-members who have managed to escape, many who are sharing their stories for the first time.

They speak of a brutal place where men must be obeyed, children must be punished and the solution to every problem is to pray harder.

This special LiSTNR nine part investigation uncovers how an Australian church, with charity status, has impacted the lives of vulnerable people for generations - without repercussions.

Until now.

Listen to the full series now on LiSTNR https://play.listnr.com/podcast/secrets-we-keep

Episode 1 available everywhere December 1.

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Baghdad Nights - Bonus - The Tigris matter

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0000

In December 2005, Richard Baker published a story about an obscure oil company called Tigris Petroleum, and its ties to Iraq. A few weeks later, Tigris would be linked to the AWB at the Cole inquiry. In this bonus episode, Richard revisits the story, and finally gets some key documents about Tigris released.

Featured:

Michael Long
Alexander Downer
Ross Fusca

Contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baghdad Nights – Episode 9 – G’day Mr Howard

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Richard Baker interviews former Prime Minister John Howard, to find out why Australia went into the Iraq War, and ask how much his government knew about the AWB’s dealings.

Featured:

John Howard
Caroline Overington
Alexander Downer
Trevor Flugge

Contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baghdad Nights – Episode 8 – Shut it down and shred

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0000

The Cole inquiry recommends the AWB be investigated, and the Australian Federal Police set up a taskforce. Richard Baker speaks to former AFP officer Ross Fusca and finds out the taskforce mysteriously disappeared. The corporate regulator, ASIC, also attempts to hold the wheat men to account.

Featured:

Darryl Hockey
Ross Fusca
Michael Long
Trevor Flugge
Rod McLeod (voicing Mark Emons)
Dan Mullins (voicing lawyer)

Contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baghdad Nights - Episode 7 - Absolute nong

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0000

It’s Trevor Flugge and Michael Long’s turn in the witness box, though it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The media is fixated on photos of the pair in Baghdad holding guns, looking like cavalier cowboys. But they won’t be the only powerful men called to give evidence.

Featured:

Trevor Flugge
Michael Long
Nonee Walsh
Kelvin Thomson
Alexander Downer
Darryl Hockey

Contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baghdad Nights - Episode 6 - Every man for himself

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 17:00:00 +0000

The Australian government announces an inquiry into the AWB, with the lawyers hoping to prove the AWB knew it was breaching sanctions. A whistleblower fronts the inquiry to give evidence... in secret.

Featured:

Trevor Flugge
Darryl Hockey
Michael Long
Anwar Al-Rawi
Rod McLeod (voicing Mark Emons)
Dan Mullins (voicing lawyer)

Contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

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Baghdad Nights - Episode 5 - Life, death and deals

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Saddam Hussein has been found, weapons of mass destruction have not. The reason for the Iraq invasion crumbles, and the world’s attention is turned to corruption in the United Nations Oil For Food Program. The AWB’s dealings in Iraq are about to come under scrutiny from an international investigation.

Featured:

Darryl Hockey
Alexander Downer
Caroline Overington
Mark Pieth

Contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baghdad Nights – Episode 4 – Wars within wars

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 17:00:00 +0000

The US invades Iraq, and good old Australia has joined. The Australian wheat men are on the ground a month later, and the secret mission begins – protect Australia’s lucrative wheat market.

Featured:

Robin Raphel
Trevor Flugge
Michael Long
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Wright
Alexander Downer
Alan Tracy

Contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

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Baghdad Nights - Episode 3 - A hidden agenda

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 17:00:00 +0000

The drums of war are beating, and the Australian Wheat Board’s multimillion-dollar trade with Iraq is at risk. Lucky for them, powerful sources promise to keep the AWB informed of any signs of war, while the public hears something different.

Featured:

Trevor Flugge
Darryl Hockey
Alexander Downer
Anwar Al-Rawi
Michael Long

Contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baghdad Nights - Episode 2 - Bread and bullion

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:05:00 +0000

How did the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) fund Saddam Hussein’s regime? Richard Baker speaks with Michael Long and Trevor Flugge from the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) to find out how Australia built a strong trade relationship with Iraq.

Featured:

Anwar Al-Rawi
Maitham Al-alyawy
Michael Long
Trevor Flugge

Get in contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baghdad Nights - Episode 1 - The bloke with the gun

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:00:00 +0000

In the lead up to the Iraq War, the Australian Wheat Board (AWB), gave $300 million in illicit funds to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Journalist Richard Baker meets Trevor Flugge, the AWB’s chairman who went on to be the poster boy for the corruption scandal, thanks to a leaked photo.

Featured:

Trevor Flugge

Get in contact: secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Credits:

Creator and Host - Richard Baker
Producers - Alastair Kirkby and Joey Watson
Sound design and mix Kyle Hopkins
Fact checking - Madeline Larsen, Holly Mitchell, Bonnie Lavelle, and Michaela Savage
Production assistance - Kelli Foulstone
Executive Producer - Ellen Leabeater
With thanks to Clair Weaver and Jake Morcom
Theme music - Lem Zakharia
Story consultant - Kate Cole-Adams
Head of News and Information - Melanie Withnall

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Introducing Baghdad Nights

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

It’s Australia’s biggest corruption scandal: $300 million funnelled to a notorious dictator via dodgy wheat contracts in the lead up to the Iraq War.

Award-winning journalist Richard Baker takes you inside the scandal, with the help of three wheat salesmen caught in the middle of extraordinary world events. Were they cowboys who pocketed millions for their company? Scapegoats for a government stuff up? Or something in between...

Secrets We Keep: Baghdad Nights launches August 6.

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Nest of Traitors - Episode 7 - Honey badger

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:30:00 +0000

Joey travels to Melbourne to try and meet a living mole suspect to finally get some answers.

If you have any feedback or information about this story you can email secretswekeep@sca.com.au or you could send Joey a letter GPO Box 22, Sydney NSW 2000.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nest of Traitors - Episode 6 - The suspects

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:30:00 +0000

A KGB defector directs Joey towards a former British politician. Joey investigates and finds the names of four potential moles who operated inside ASIO during the Cold War. He begins searching for the four suspects.

If you have any feedback or information about this story you can email secretswekeep@sca.com.au or you could send Joey a letter GPO Box 22, Sydney NSW 2000.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nest of Traitors - Episode 5 - Looking for moles

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 16:30:00 +0000

A rendezvous leads Joey to an apartment where a source tells him that more information about the suspected moles might lie in a top secret government report. When he realises only the Prime Minister’s office can authorise the report to be released, Joey takes his questions all the way to the top.

If you have any feedback or information about this story you can email secretswekeep@sca.com.au or you could send Joey a letter GPO Box 22, Sydney NSW 2000.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nest of Traitors - Episode 4 - Cold War Warriors

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:30:00 +0000

Joey meets a man who investigated ASIO in the 1970s, to find out what made the spy agency vulnerable to being infiltrated by the KGB. ASIO was directed to search for traitors, but the internal investigations were inconclusive.

If you have any feedback or information about this story you can email secretswekeep@sca.com.au or you could send Joey a letter GPO Box 22, Sydney NSW 2000.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nest of Traitors - Episode 3 - Welcome to Woomera

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 16:30:00 +0000

Joey drives into the middle of the desert to find out why Australia became a target for the KGB. He learns that Australia was a bigger player in the Cold War than he’d ever imagined, and how the mole could’ve had access to secrets from its powerful Western allies.

If you have any feedback or information about this story you can email secretswekeep@sca.com.au or you could send Joey a letter GPO Box 22, Sydney NSW 2000.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nest of Traitors - Episode 2 - Fabric of nightmares

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:05:00 +0000

Who were the KGB? What was ASIO up against? To help his mole hunt, a former spy takes Joey inside ASIO during the Cold War.

He points Joey to a KGB spy called Gerontiy Lazovik who may have recruited a mole in Australia. As Joey dives deeper into this story, he begins to suspect there was more than one mole.

If you have any feedback or information about this story you can email secretswekeep@sca.com.au or you could send Joey a letter GPO Box 22, Sydney NSW 2000.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nest of Traitors - Episode 1 - Operation Liver

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Three years ago, journalist Joey Watson learnt about the ultimate spy story. During the Cold War, the Australian spy agency ASIO was infiltrated by the enemy - one of their spies turned and began working for the KGB, the Soviet Union’s feared spy agency. They became a mole.

For decades, the mole's identity remained a mystery and the damage they caused unknown. To uncover the truth, Joey sets out to find them.

Joey starts by meeting the main suspect who was arrested in the early 1990s and uncovers a much bigger story about secrets and power.

Nest of Traitors: Declassified is a behind-the-scenes peak at what goes into making the podcast series with Joey Watson and Clair Weaver.

If you have any feedback or information about this story you can email secretswekeep@sca.com.au or you could send Joey a letter GPO Box 22, Sydney NSW 2000.

Credits:

Creator and Host - Joey Watson
Supervising Producer - Jake Morcom
Executive Producer - Ellen Leabeater
Fact check - Bonnie Lavelle
Sound design - Nial Fernandes
Theme - Matt Nikolic
With thanks to Clair Weaver, Simon Beaton, Alastair Kirkby, Emma Lancaster and Mike Williams
Melanie Withnall - Head of News and Information

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Introducing Nest of Traitors

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Three years ago, journalist Joey Watson was pulled into the ultimate spy mystery. During the Cold War, the Australian spy agency ASIO was infiltrated by a Soviet mole. For decades the mole's identity was buried and the damage they caused unknown. To uncover the truth, Joey sets out to find the mole. It’s a story about power, national secrets and how countries behave when they think no-one is watching.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The next Australian secret

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Amelia Oberhardt introduces Season 2 of Secrets We Keep - Nest of Traitors. Hosted by Joey Watson, the season investigates another big Australian secret. Launching January 23.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Bonus - Your Stories

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Closed adoptions have affected many Australian families, and no one experience is the same.

In this episode, you'll hear how forced adoptions have affected people from a new perspective - two adoptees, and one father.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

List of organisations that can help

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Bonus - Finding your family

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0000

If you or your family have been affected by forced adoption, it can be daunting to start your journey to find information about your history.

However support is available, and host Amelia Oberhardt speaks to two post adoption support services about how someone can navigate this journey.

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

List of organisations that can help

Adopt Perspective Podcast

Featured:

Charlotte Smith - CEO of Vanish
Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland
Rachel Bell - Social Worker, Forced Adoption Support Service

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Repeat or repair

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0000

In the final episode of the season, Amelia Oberhardt reflects on what she's learnt in the series, and confronts one last stigma - her mother's alcohol dependency.

Support services:

National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline: 1800 250 015

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

Featured:

Jennifer McRae
Danae Witherow
Professor Dan Lubman - Turning Point

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - The abortion raid

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

In researching the series, Amelia Oberhardt heard a shocking story about a Queensland abortion raid that showed another side of how women were treated in Australia’s not too distant past.

Amelia finds out more about the options women had when faced with an unplanned pregnancy, the road to legalising abortion, and what happened one Monday morning in May 1985.

Featured:

Caroline de Costa – Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the College of Medicine at James Cook University
Lorraine Smit – former counsellor and assistant, Children by Choice
Judy Petroeschevsky – former counsellor, educator and co-ordinator, Children by Choice
David Grunmann – Queensland surgeon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Coming home

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Leonie Pope was taken from her mother as a baby in 1972, after her mother was coerced into signing forms that gave away her rights. Leonie and her siblings were all taken from their family, and are part of the Stolen Generations.

Leonie was fostered and adopted to a Welsh family, and spent her childhood on the other side of the world, growing up in Wales. This is Leonie’s story of coming home.

You’ll also hear from Dr Mary Graham, about her work to change the approach of child welfare agencies in Queensland.

Gayaa Dhuwi: https://www.gayaadhuwi.org.au/if-you-need-help/

A spokesperson for the Mater Hospital said: 'Forced adoptions occurred in Queensland into the 1970s and were usually procured by social workers or departmental officers acting for the State Government, which issued a formal apology for the policy in 2012. Mater fully endorses the apology given by Catholic Health Australia in 2012 for the role that some Catholic hospitals and health services played in this widespread practice.’ The Mater didn't address questions about the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children during the 1940s-1980s.'

Responding to questions about a redress scheme in Queensland for Stolen Generations survivors, a spokesperson for the Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts said: 'The Queensland Government recognises Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to experience the ongoing impacts of previous State and Commonwealth laws, policies and programs, including in relation to children. The Queensland Government is committed to improving the health and wellbeing outcomes of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples who experience disparity. We are doing this by restoring local decision-making authority and establishing place-based partnerships to ensure communities are leading the way as we work to Close the Gap.'

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Ghost Kingdom

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

We’ve been inundated with responses and questions from you, with your stories from the forced adoption era.

Dr Susan Green is a psychologist and adopted person and speaks to Amelia Oberhardt to answer questions about the psychological impacts of forced adoption.

We’ll be back to our normal format next week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Where do I come from?

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

It’s a decade this year since Julia Gillard’s apology to those affected by forced adoption, but there’s still unfinished business. Now, it’s the adoptees picking up the baton and carrying on the fight for recognition, redress, and justice.

Amelia speaks to two adoptees – Jennifer McRae and Danae Witherow – about how being taken from their mothers has affected their lives, and their push for an inquiry in Western Australia. Shakira Ramsdell explains what's happening in Victoria, the one state in the process of setting up a redress scheme.

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

UPDATE: A spokesperson from the WA Department of Communities responded after deadline, writing 'formal integrated birth certificates [are] currently not available' but are being considered.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - In the child’s best interest

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

At its peak in the early 1970s, almost 200 babies per week were adopted in Australia. It’s impossible to know how many of these adoptions involved coercion, but we do know that it was a time many believed single women were incapable of looking after their children.

In this episode, Amelia Oberhardt looks at how this system was allowed to operate, and what lead to forced adoption ending.

If you would like to share your story, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

Featured:

Patricia Farrar - Mother, PhD
Shurlee Swain - Emeritus Professor, Australian Catholic University

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Moral danger

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Young, pregnant, unwed. What happened next is one of the most shameful periods in Australian history. Amelia Oberhardt speaks to two women who experienced a forced adoption – a broad term used to describe the various ways women were coerced into giving up their baby.

Di Sheehan and Lily Arthur explain how stigma and a flawed system altered the course of their lives.

If you would like to share your story, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au

Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Welcome to Cairns

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 19:25:45 +0000

Amelia Oberhardt flies to Cairns to meet the man in the photo, hoping to finally get the answer to a question that has haunted her for over a decade. Who is the baby in the photo?

Knowing what happened to her mum, Amelia feels more resolve than ever to tell the stories of other women from her mother’s generation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - Finding Michael

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

In the aftermath of seeing the photo at the wake, Amelia Oberhardt is on a search to find the man in the photo. Her pursuit leads her down a rabbit hole, into the world of 1960s and 1970s Australia, and the realities of how women were treated in this era.

And then, a new avenue provides new clues in the search for Michael.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shame, Lies & Family - The wake

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Standing at her mother’s wake, journalist Amelia Oberhardt is confronted with a photo she’s never seen before - her mum Cecelia as a teenager wearing a wedding ring, accompanied by an unknown husband and cradling an unfamiliar baby.

Immediately, Amelia begins to ask questions. Who is this man? Who is this baby? And does this photo explain Ceceila’s untimely death?

Credits:

Creator and Host - Amelia Oberhardt
Producer - Jake Morcom
Fact check - Bension Siebert
Sound design and mix - Nial Fernandes
Executive Producer - Ellen Leabeater
With assistance from Clair Weaver, Joey Watson, Jessica Lukjanow, Tara Cassidy and James Royce
Natasha Jobson is our Head of News Ops, and Melanie Withnall is Head of News and Information

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Shame, Lies & Family

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 00:29:42 +0000

Journalist Amelia Oberhardt thought she knew her mum, until she was confronted by a photo she’d never seen before at her mother’s wake. Seeing this photo sparks a journey into 1950s-1970s Australia, a time when women were forced to keep secrets. Shotgun marriages, hushed abortions and forced adoptions. It’s the story of a generation of women, who now with their children, are fighting for justice today.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Secrets We Keep_LiSTNR

Behind The White Line | Ep 3 | The Kenya job

Behind The White Line | Ep 2 | Taking the bait

Behind The White Line | Ep 1 | A plan is hatched

Behind The White Line - Podcast drops tomorrow

Introducing: Behind The White Line

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 6 | A growing threat

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 5 | The making of Dezi Freeman

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 4 | My beautiful boy

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 3 | The force that never gave up

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 2 | Inside the operation

Dezi Freeman: The Hunt | Ep 1 | The final 24 hours

Introducing Dezi Freeman: The Hunt

The Children in the Pictures Bonus: Jon Rouse, the man behind Taskforce Argos

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 8 | The Hope and the Good

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 7 | A Perfect Match

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 6 | The Glitch

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 5 | The Job of Being Evil

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 4 | The Takeover

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 3 | The Anti-Social Network

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 2 | Crimes Without Borders

The Children in the Pictures | Ep 1 | Down the Rabbit Hole

Uncovered | Unmasking the alleged torturer turned Bondi nanny | Part 2

Uncovered | Unmasking the alleged torturer turned Bondi nanny | Part 1

Uncovered | Smuggling out proof of the secret war on Australia's doorstep

Uncovered | Discovering your boyfriend was a cop spying on you | Part 2

Uncovered | Discovering your boyfriend was a cop spying on you | Part 1

Uncovered | Exposing the Bondi gunmen's ISIS links

Uncovered | Confronting Prince Andrew on Epstein

Uncovered | Exposing hero surgeon's maggot-infested patient

BONUS | Unveiling the motives behind the Christchurch terrorist’s appeal

Lone Actor | Investigating the Christchurch terrorist

Uncovered | Infiltrating an LSD-fuelled neo-Nazi goat sacrifice

SPONSORED | Unravelling memory and evidence in real-world investigations

Uncovered | Exposing the government’s false case for war

Sneak Peek | Uncovered returns on Tuesday 27 January

Killer Charm | Ep 6 | A Final Trial

Killer Charm | Ep 5 | Rare Brand of Evil

Killer Charm | Ep 4 | Surveillance

Killer Charm | Ep 3 | Seven Wills

Killer Charm | Ep 2 | Muffin

Killer Charm | Ep 1 | The 'Accident'

Uncovered – How undercover police radicalised an autistic child | Part 2

Uncovered – How undercover police radicalised an autistic child | Part 1

Uncovered – Unmasking Australia’s most corrupt cop

Uncovered - Secretly recording corrupt politicians in Ibiza

Uncovered - Blowing the whistle on the Butcher of Bega

Uncovered - Infiltrating ‘get-rich-quick’ hustle culture

Uncovered – Exposing the AFP’s secret use of facial recognition

Uncovered - Hunting Australia's Nazi war criminals (Part 2)

Uncovered - Hunting Australia's Nazi war criminals (Part 1)

Introducing Secrets We Keep: Uncovered

Jailbreak - Bonus - Antoinette Lattouf speaks to Tim Elliott

Jailbreak - Episode 6 - Free Dougie

Coming soon - Secrets We Keep: Uncovered

Jailbreak - Episode 5 - The Great Escape

Jailbreak - Episode 4 - Model Prisoner

Jailbreak - Episode 3 - Busted

Jailbreak - Episode 2 - It Was a Boom

Jailbreak - Episode 1 - You’ve Been Looking for Me

Bonus - The 13 year old Australian charged as a terrorist

Introducing Jailbreak

Bonus - Joey answers your questions

Bonus - Antoinette Lattouf interviews Joey Watson

Lone Actor - Episode 6 - Skull Mask Network

Lone Actor - Episode 5 - The defence of Europe

Lone Actor - Episode 4 - The Balkans

Lone Actor - Episode 3 - In the scene

Lone Actor - Episode 2 - Shitposting

Lone Actor - Episode 1 - March 15

Introducing Lone Actor

By Any Means - Episode 6 - Baby Brokers

By Any Means - Episode 5 - The Surrogacy Sisterhood

By Any Means - Episode 4 - Magic Potion

By Any Means - Episode 3 - 700 Siblings

By Any Means - Episode 2 - Russellpalooza

By Any Means - Episode 1 - That Infertility Feeling

Introducing By Any Means

Should I Spit? - Episode 9 - Eye of Sauron

Should I Spit? - Episode 8 - FIGG