Category: Investigative Journalism

‘Not equal before the law’: Why regional drug addicts are often sent to jail, not rehab

ABC Online 15th June 2018 A retired judge has backed calls for more drug rehabilitation centres in the bush, warning addicts in regional areas are too often thrown behind bars. John Nicholson SC served as a New South Wales District Court judge for more than a decade and regularly presided over sittings in Dubbo, where … Continue reading ‘Not equal before the law’: Why regional drug addicts are often sent to jail, not rehab

Sick on the inside

The Monthly  April 2018 Over the final few months of his life, 31-year-old David Wotherspoon, an inmate at Cessnock Correctional Centre in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, increasingly believed that prison officers were plotting to kill him: poisoning his food and sending toxic gas into his cell. To protect himself, he barely … Continue reading Sick on the inside

The dispossessed

The Griffith Review Edition 32: Wicked Problems, Exquisite Dilemmas 2011 IN mid-afternoon just days after Christmas, finding a park in the small National Heritage town of Central Tilba, on the far South Coast of New South Wales, was proving difficult. Rows of Audis, Prados, the occasional BMW and all kinds of shining new four-wheel drives … Continue reading The dispossessed

Mamdouh Habib: What Did Australia know ?

"Did Australia Know Habib was Being Tortured?" New Matilda 9th September 2009. Sometime in early November 2001, a terrified and confused Australian man named Mamdouh Habib was taken from a Pakistani prison cell trussed in chains. Someone within the US administration or intelligence system had decided he needed a tougher than usual interrogation and he … Continue reading Mamdouh Habib: What Did Australia know ?

Gunning for Iran – the Mujahedin-e-Khalq

"Gunning for Iran" Dateline, SBS Television. 11th April 2006 This story looks at the shadowy Iranian opposition group the Mujahedin-e-Khalk, (MeK), and their role in publicizing so called intelligence "revelations" about Iran's nuclear program.  The MeK is considered a terrorist organization and a cult by many, yet powerful figures in Washington DC are seemingly prepared … Continue reading Gunning for Iran – the Mujahedin-e-Khalq

China’s Pollution Busters

"China's Pollution Busters" Dateline, SBS Television. 21st November 2007 Teaming up with two brave Chinese environmental activists, we go on the trail of the companies that are pumping toxic waste into the country's waterways. With the help of the activists and local citizens who are suffering due to toxic water, we see first-hand how some … Continue reading China’s Pollution Busters

The Mystery of Mohamed Abbass

"The Mystery of Mohamed Abbass" Dateline, SBS Television. 6th June 2007 In 1999 Australian man Mohamed Abbass traveled to Egypt for a holiday. To the horror of his wife and children he never returned, apparently vanishing into thin air. In a twisted and horrifying saga his wife was contacted from Cairo and told he was … Continue reading The Mystery of Mohamed Abbass

The Extraordinary Rendition of Mamdouh Habib

"The Extraordinary Rendition of Mamdouh Habib" Dateline, SBS Television. 9th March 2005 After nearly 4 years in captivity Mamdouh Habib returned home to Australia in early 2005. This award winning story is based on an extensive interview with Habib, and raises serious questions about the involvement of Australian intelligence in his transfer to Egypt and … Continue reading The Extraordinary Rendition of Mamdouh Habib

The Trials of Mamdouh Habib

"The Trials of Mamdouh Habib" Dateline, SBS Television. July 7th 2004 Broadcast in 2004, this story was one of the first comprehensive investigations into the arrest and detention of Australian man Mamdouh Habib. It was also one of the first journalistic exposes of "extraordinary rendition",  the Bush Administration policy of "outsourcing torture" which later became … Continue reading The Trials of Mamdouh Habib

Ahmadinejad’s Iran

"Ahmadinejad's Iran"

Dateline, SBS Television. 4th April 2007

This report from inside Iran canvasses the views of everyone from the Iranian Foreign Minister, high profile economists, down to the man on the street. What we find is overwhelming support for Iran's nuclear program but growing unease at the parlous state of the economy and the confrontational style of President Ahmadinejad.