Four Corners is Australia's premier television current affairs program. It has been part of the Australian story since August 1961, exposing scandals, triggering inquiries, firing debate, confronting taboos and interpreting fads, trends and sub-cultures. Its consistently high standards of journalism and film-making have earned international recognition and an array of Walkleys, Logies and other national awards.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is meant to maintain stability in the nation's financial sector. It is supposed to be above reproach in its behaviour. But is it? Why did bank-appointed officials and employees break sanctions in Iraq and cosy up to Saddam Hussein through a "front man"? Why did a former Deputy Governor and other directors hand-picked by the Reserve Bank to safeguard its subsidiary companies from corruption, end up--over a decade--overseeing some of the most corruption-prone business practices possible? Why did they allow millions of dollars to be wired to third parties in foreign countries, including an arms dealer, in order to win banknote contracts in deals police now allege involved bribery and corruption?

There is not a person in the community that is not affected by cancer in some way. Next on Four Corners, we go inside the hospitals and consulting rooms with Australians who are confronting the reality that the advanced cancer they have could kill them. The question is, how much time have they left and what can their doctors do to buy them more time?

A businessman in Papua New Guinea is accused of taking millions of dollars for government work that has never been completed. He is charged but released on bail. Then, using an Australian issued 457 Visa, he comes to this country and avoids justice, telling authorities he is too sick to travel back to PNG. Crime fighters in Papua New Guinea say this type of behaviour is all too common.

Last year, when two boats sank off the north coast of Australia killing over 90 men, women and children the Federal Government responded by re-opening offshore processing centres, abandoned after the defeat of the Howard Government in 2007. The centres were unashamedly brought into service to deter anyone thinking of coming to Australia by boat. At the same time the Government has strictly limited media access to the camps. Workers servicing the facility in Nauru are threatened with the sack if they reveal what's going on inside.

Would you allow your child to use a gun to hunt and kill animals? Across Australia there are thousands of families who not only let it happen, they encourage it. Hunting is now a growth sport and the reasons are simple. For many it's exciting, selling guns is a lucrative business and hunters have new-found political muscle. Many hunters say they do it to get back to nature and to source fresh meat. While they put ethics and safety first, it's the rogue hunter that is the problem.

Australians love sport and they love to gamble. Put the two together and there's lots of money to be made. Across the globe sports betting is dominated by huge, faceless corporations with deep pockets, all looking for market share. By contrast in Australia, the industry might be growing but it certainly isn't faceless and for that it can thank one man. His name is Tom Waterhouse. Son of a bookmaker and top line horse trainer, he's made himself the face of sports betting in Australia. Taking out advertising slots on the Nine Network, he was also given a place on the network's rugby league commentary team. It was the boldest move yet by an industry that's taking every opportunity to grab publicity.

Labor's leader Kevin Rudd, dispatched three years ago by his own party, was returned to take up where he left off as Prime Minister of Australia. By any measure it's a desperate move by a party facing, as the new Prime Minister said, an electoral catastrophe. For the past four weeks, Four Corners has been tracking Labor's painful decision to restore Kevin Rudd as leader, the mounting fear within the party of electoral wipe-out, the ambitious last acts of Julia Gillard's minority government and the gamble for Labor's future with a leader it rejected more than once.

He's not exactly the Kiwi Bond. He failed to bring home the America's Cup, but he's pulled off deals in New Zealand that would make Alan Bond swoon. These have been testing times for yachting tycoons, but when Alan Bond ran aground in a Perth court last week at least it was hailed as a boost for Australia's battered reputation in the international marketplace. When Michael Fay foundered off San Diego last month, it was a major set-back for New Zealand. If the high-flying merchant banker had won the America's Cup his backers in the New Zealand government thought the whole nation would reap a dividend. It would have been a fitting return for all that New Zealand has given Michael Fay and his elite circle of business friends. Like the good sailor he is Sir Michael knows how to make the most of prevailing conditions, even on dry land, and few places are as dry right now as the New Zealand economic landscape. As hardship and unemployment surge in the face of this social experiment, the Fay phenomenon is attracting growing resentment.

We know the problem. More Australians are fat and they're getting fatter. What no one can agree on is how to stop an epidemic that's threatening to make the next generation less healthy than the one before. Everyone agrees that one part of the answer is to exercise more. What's less clear is how people can be encouraged to eat a healthier diet. On one side, public health advocates say food companies must reduce the levels of fat, salt and sugar they put in their products. On the other side, many believe diet is a personal responsibility way beyond Government regulation.

Australian casinos that target Asian VIP gamblers to boost their profits could run a serious risk of exposure to organised crime, according to a range of law enforcement and security experts. This week on Four Corners, reporter Linton Besser investigates the drive to entice foreign gamblers to Australia and the implications of that strategy.

It took just one phone call from a Thai journalist to expose the plight of 'Baby Gammy' and to send shockwaves through the Thai surrogacy industry. But it wasn't just people in Thailand who felt the impact. Some Australians found themselves with newborn babies that they couldn't take home. This week, Four Corners reporter Debbie Whitmont is there as one of these families tries desperately to find a way out of the situation. As she tells the story of this couple and their twins, she also takes us inside an industry that has grown with little effective regulation, leaving it exposed to unscrupulous agents.

Children across Australia talk about the alarming impact of bullying on their lives. Despite major efforts from governments, schools and teachers, bullying remains an intractable problem made worse by modern technology. Once it was fists, rocks and personal abuse - now bullies have the net, mobile phones and Facebook as their playgrounds for brutality. This isn't just concerning - it can be lethal, as reporter Quentin McDermott reveals.

The Siege: Part One - a Four Corners special two-part investigation. Four Corners will present the first episode in a two-part special investigation into the Lindt Cafe siege. Sarah Ferguson talks exclusively with the families of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson about their experience on the day and their devastation, anger and frustration in the aftermath of the siege. Surviving hostages recount their terrifying ordeal as they waited, hour after hour, for the police to arrive. The program examines how authorities over several years failed to comprehend the risk posed by hostage taker Man Haron Monis. Part two of the investigation will take you inside the Lindt Cafe and the police operation on the day, and bring you a forensic examination of how the disaster unfolded. This special investigation exposes what went wrong and questions whether Australia is prepared for another terror attack. The NSW Coroner will deliver his findings on the siege on Wednesday May 24.

Four Corners will bring you the second part of its special investigation into the Lindt Cafe siege. The program will take you inside the Lindt Cafe and the police operation as it dragged on into the night, and present a forensic examination of how the disaster unfolded. The families of hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson tell of their experiences during the siege as they watched and waited nearby. They recount their fleeting communications with their loved ones through heartbreaking phone calls and text messages from inside the cafe. In interviews with the surviving hostages, reporter Sarah Ferguson examines the opportunities missed in the course of the siege. And as the Coroner makes his findings, the families left behind reflect on the gruelling 18 months of hearings and the evidence presented during the inquest. In a Four Corners exclusive, the families of Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson will talk to Sarah Ferguson in the days following the Inquest findings.

Power and Influence: The hard edge of China's soft power. It's a tale of secrets, power and intimidation. China is Australia's most important trading partner, making a strong relationship vital to Australia's national interest. But there are growing concerns about covert Chinese actions taking place on Australian soil. Five months in the making, this joint Four Corners/Fairfax Media investigation uncovers how China's Communist Party is secretly infiltrating Australia. The investigation tracks the activities of Beijing-backed organisations and the efforts made to intimidate opponents of the Chinese Communist party. And investigates the influence of individuals who have access to political and business leaders. The findings will be released in a series of stories through Fairfax Media and ABC platforms, reported by Fairfax's Nick McKenzie and the ABC's Chris Uhlmann, culminating in the Four Corners broadcast on Monday night, detailing the full revelations.

It was Queensland, the year was 1987, and the State's police force was riddled with corruption. The brotherhood of crooked cops who gave the green light to illegal gambling and prostitution believed they were untouchable. There was a conspiracy of silence, from within the Queensland Government and all the way up to the highest levels of the force. The nature and the extent of the corruption sickened the honest cops, who operated in a world where they could trust no-one. A small band of brave crime fighters, and their families, took the enormous risk to trust a journalist with the State's darkest secrets. The result was 'The Moonlight State', perhaps the most explosive true story ever told on Australian television. Chris Masters' landmark report prompted one of the most important anti-corruption investigations in Australian history, the Fitzgerald Inquiry, which led to the jailing of the Queensland Police Commissioner. But the whole story of how the whistle was blown has never fully been told. Now the key players who put their trust in Chris Masters have come forward to tell their story, on camera, for the first time. The program also reveals the shocking lengths corrupt police went to, to try to silence the whistleblowers, and reporter Chris Masters. Thirty years on from 'The Moonlight State', leading law enforcement figures warn that every police force today must remember the lessons of those dark days so they can never be repeated.

The Company He Keeps: Unearthing Trump's business deals on Australia's doorstep. "Do they like me in Indonesia?" - Donald Trump. It was one of the more bizarre moments of the Trump presidential campaign. At a press conference at Trump Tower in New York to declare his loyalty to the Republican Party, Donald Trump was flanked by guests from Indonesia, and made a big show of announcing one very special guest. It was unclear why the Indonesians were there, or why Mr Trump was making such a fuss of them. Now a Four Corners investigation will reveal how Donald Trump, as he was closing in on his political rivals, was negotiating luxury resort deals in Bali and Java, raising serious questions about presidential conflicts of interest. In Bali, plans are under way to Trumpify one of the most iconic and sacred sites in Bali - Tanah Lot. But curiously, for a tourist destination usually keen to talk up what the island paradise has to offer, government officials are not keen to talk about the proposed Trump Tower development. In a second development on Java, the deal to build a massive gaudy theme park and resort development has been inked, leaving local farmers frightened of what the future holds. Four Corners investigates how these deals were done through an unholy alliance formed between Donald Trump and controversial business and political figures in Indonesia. Trump's business partners have a troubling history with ties to the corrupt Suharto regime. While at home in the United States, President Trump rails against Islamic extremism. In Indonesia, he has formed political alliances with politicians aligned with Islamist forces.

Four Corners brings you a story of identity, love and dignity. In this touching and brave program, three families have opened their lives to Four Corners to tell their stories. Dementia is the second biggest cause of death in Australia. More than four-hundred thousand Australians living with the disease and the figures are rising. A diagnosis is devastating. But for these families, it is being faced clear-eyed, with a determination to enjoy life to the full. We follow their intensely personal stories as they share their hopes, fears and plans for the future. For a disease that will touch so many Australians, there is often little understanding of the condition. There are more than one hundred types of dementia, inheriting the disease is relatively rare, and in some cases, it can begin to take effect when a person is in the prime of their life. In interviews with leading doctors in the field, the program explores the research into the steps that can be taken that may help stave off or slow the progression of the disease. Shining through this inspiring program is the love and dedication of the families and friends determined to cherish every minute they have with left.

Pumped: Who's benefitting from the billions spent on the Murray-Darling? In Australia's most important river system, the water is so precious, it could be liquid gold. Stretching from Queensland to South Australia, billions of dollars in tax payers' money has been poured into rescuing the rivers and streams of the Murray-Darling Basin to save it from environmental collapse. But nearly five years on from a landmark agreement to restore the river, something is wrong. Along the river system many are saying despite all the promises, water is disappearing from the river. Four Corners will reveal how the plan to rescue the Murray-Darling Basin river system is being undermined. Reporter Linton Besser investigates where the money, and the water is going. He finds communities divided. With many wondering how they will survive. And questions whether the billions in tax payers' money has been well spent.

Four Corners investigates the big business of rubbish and where it ends up. Taking out the bins is a weekly ritual but establishing what happens next is far from transparent. In interviews with insiders, reporter Caro Meldrum-Hanna exposes the hidden practices occurring in several areas of the waste industry. The program reveals how the lucrative trade in our rubbish has attracted unscrupulous operators who are gaming the system and making a fortune in the process. Four Corners' cameras have captured eye-opening footage of the flourishing trade in our rubbish. Senior members of the industry say they're taking a big risk by speaking out but believe the need for reform is too great to remain silent.

For the last two months, The Greens have been a party in disarray. They've lost not one but two deputy leaders over dual citizenship laws. Opinion polls indicate their popularity is falling, particularly with their key demographic - younger voters, and a bruising internal fight over policy negotiations has ripped open the seams of the party. As the turmoil has unfolded, Four Corners has been there to capture the drama behind the scenes. We reveal the tensions within, as the party, born out of radical activism, tries to operate on the federal political stage. Key players in the party and its support base unload, venting their fury over the way politics is being played on the inside. As the party faces its biggest challenges since its foundation, Four Corners investigates if the party's actions live up to their spin.

Combustible: The dangerous legacy of failed regulation in the building industry. Across Australia, governments, councils and the building industry are grappling with a problem so large, it almost defies belief. Residential buildings, hospitals, shopping centres and commercial buildings, have been built with flammable aluminium cladding, posing a potentially serious fire risk. It took the catastrophic Grenfell Tower fire in London, which claimed at least 80 lives, to set off alarm bells here, but as Four Corners will reveal, the danger posed by this cladding should not have come as a surprise. Four Corners investigates why huge amounts of this aluminium cladding has been installed on so many of our buildings, and whether a desire to cut costs won out over caution. Insiders say there has been a colossal failure of regulation and oversight. With access to the tests now under way on suspect aluminium cladding, we reveal the enormity of the problem facing authorities and ask who will pay to remove and replace it.

All that glitters: Developers, deals and donations on the Gold Coast. There's nothing subtle about the Gold Coast, from its towering sky scrapers to its bikini clad meter maids. The glitter strip, famed for its stunning beaches, theme parks and nightlife is marketed as Australia's endless playground. Along with the tourists, developers are welcomed with open arms. There's barely a metre of land that hasn't been built on or earmarked for change in the holiday mecca. The larger than life Gold Coast Mayor, Ferrari driving Tom Tate, is famous for his crash through style and build them big vision. But in this pro development town, a series of controversial billion dollar proposals has prompted a collection of unlikely allies to come together to say enough is enough. Four Corners investigates how deals are being done on the Gold Coast and whether developer donations are influencing decision making. Critics say crucial decisions are being made without proper scrutiny or consultation. And warn that the public isn't being told the whole truth about massive proposals which will have a lasting impact on one of Australia's most important tourist destinations.

Digging into Adani: The dubious dealings of India's corporate colossus. When Four Corners travelled to India to investigate the activities of the giant Adani group, they soon discovered the power of the company. While attempting to film and gather information about Adani's operations, the Four Corners team had their cameras shut down, their footage deleted and were questioned for hours by police. The team were left in no doubt that their investigations into the Indian company triggered the police action. For months, Four Corners has been digging into the business practices of the Adani Group. This is the corporate colossus that plans to build Australia's biggest mine site. The polarising debate around the proposed mine site in Queensland's Galilee Basin is often pitted as a simplistic jobs versus greenies argument. But there are influential figures in India who warn that Australians need to know much more about the Adani Group. Four Corners examines the troubled corporate history of the Adani group in India revealing the findings of government investigations into financial and environment crimes. The program analyses the Adani Group's opaque financial operations and investigates the ramifications for their Australian operations. This investigation examines whether, in the rush to secure jobs and shore up the mining industry, Australian politicians have failed to properly scrutinise the company that's now hoping to receive a taxpayer funded loan of up to $1 billion for its project.

Contamination: The unfolding scandal of toxic water in Australian communities. It’s one of the biggest environmental scandals in Australian history. Harmful chemicals, leaching into the ground and waterways, contaminating the water relied upon for drinking. These chemicals are the toxic legacy of fire-fighting foam, used for decades on Defence Force bases and other sites around Australia. Communities, living in the shadow of three key defence bases, have been trapped in a kind of no-man’s land for the past three years after it was revealed these chemicals, known as PFAS, had seeped out of the bases and contaminated the surrounding areas. Four Corners investigates the gross failures by the Defence Department that led to this chemical contamination. Reporter Linton Besser uncovers the troubling history of the use of these chemicals and reveals just how long the public was kept in the dark. The impact on those affected is profound. Some rely on water supplies trucked in by Defence contractors. Others are trapped financially, unable to sell, with their homes officially designated as a contamination zone. All worry about the implications of exposure to these chemicals. Four Corners has discovered that the scale of the problem is continuing to grow as more and more sites around the nation are being tested for contamination.

In a special edition of Four Corners, Hillary Clinton, in her only Australian television interview, talks with Sarah Ferguson. This riveting conversation, recorded in New York, takes us into the heart and mind of the woman at the centre of the most stunning election loss in modern US history. This is a very different Hillary Clinton to the managed political performer. Candid, open and at times angry, the former presidential candidate talks about what went wrong and her fears for the future.

From the start, Australia's National Broadband Network was billed as a game changer that would future proof the nation by delivering super fast internet services. Almost a decade on from those promises, there's a growing number of angry residential customers and small businesses who are bitterly disappointed with the NBN. As the NBN reaches a milestone, passing the half-way point in its rollout, Four Corners investigates the problems fuelling this dissatisfaction. For many Australians, the NBN has turned out to be a lottery. Not all customers are receiving the same connections. And in some regional areas there is a stark digital divide, between those with high-speed fibre to the premises, and neighbours stuck with old copper connections who worry they're becoming digital second class citizens. We examine what's driving the decision making about the rollout, and investigate why some customers are being short-changed on expensive data plans that fail to deliver what they promise. As critics warn that Australia will soon be a decade behind its near neighbour New Zealand in the digital transformation, reporter Geoff Thompson visits New Zealand's 'Gigatown', Dunedin, to look at how superfast broadband is transforming the way they do business. Back in Australia, the government insists the NBN is going to plan and will be steadily upgraded. In interviews with the Communications Minister and the current and former heads of NBN Co. we examine whether a decade of politicking has compromised the ability of the NBN to deliver for all Australians.

A Four Corners exclusive: Inside the tax havens of the rich and powerful. Four Corners will take you inside the secretive world of tax havens where corporations and the wealthy operate far from public view. In an investigation that spans the globe, Four Corners will reveal the lengths some of the world's most powerful business figures and global corporations are going to, to avoid paying tax. As tax authorities in Australia and across the globe try to claw back money from the big multinationals, reporter Marian Wilkinson will show how a web of offshore operators help organise elaborate international tax avoidance schemes.

In the week the same sex marriage survey results will be announced, Four Corners will take you into the battle for control raging inside the Liberal Party. As reporter Michael Brissenden will show, whatever the results of the postal survey, the politicking will be far from over. When Malcom Turnbull took the leadership of the Liberal Party he promised to do things differently, end the slogans and act decisively. But for the last two years he's been unable to stamp his authority on his government. The Prime Minister has been held back by the conservative forces in the party, stoked by the man he deposed, Tony Abbott. Divisive debates inside the party over same sex marriage, energy policy and climate change have become proxy wars for the bitter internal battle underway. Social conservative activists are feeling energised and more confident by the day and as Four Corners will show, they're playing a long game to take over the direction of the party, branch by branch. These activists warn that if they're unsuccessful in taking control of the party, they'll take their votes elsewhere. In what will become a momentous week in Australian politics, Four Corners examines the Liberal Party's identity crisis and what it means for Malcolm Turnbull's leadership.

The Murphy Scandal: Unlocking the secrets that brought down a High Court judge. Justice Lionel Murphy was one of the most senior political and legal figures in Australia. He was also at the centre of one of the most extraordinary scandals in our nation's history. During the 1980s, he was engulfed in a wave of allegations, from claims he was caught on tape during an illegal police bugging operation ending with criminal charges of perverting the course of justice and an inquiry into whether he should be removed from the High Court. Australia had never seen a scandal like it and it electrified the nation. Now this sensational chapter in Australia's history has been reopened with the release of documents kept secret for 30 years. Four Corners takes you into the heart of this story with powerful first hand accounts from many of the key players in this astonishing saga. Some are speaking publicly for the first time in 30 years. Some reveal material that has never been seen before. Many paid a high price for their involvement. The scandal bitterly divided those who knew Murphy. Today, the Murphy allegations are provoking as much passion and controversy as they did three decades ago.

Swallowing It: How Australians are spending billions on unproven vitamins and supplements. The figures are startling - seven out of every ten Australians take some form of vitamin or supplement. We spend more, out of our own pockets, on complementary medicines than we do on prescription drugs. Spruiked by sporting heroes, acting icons and celebrity chefs, the industry is worth over four billion dollars. But there is little evidence that many of these products actually work. Many pharmacies have shelves stacked high with vitamins and supplements, prominently displayed at the front of their shops, often sold in tandem with proven pharmaceuticals. Australians are often choosing these complementary medicines as insurance against a bad diet or to ward off sickness, but the benefits are highly contested. The spotlight is now being placed on the industry, with the regulator drafting changes to the way these products are sold and a government review examining whether or not pharmacies should stock them. The program investigates how these products are regulated and marketed in Australia and whether the credibility of chemists is threatened by selling them.

Four Corners takes you to the battlefields of Iraq with the ABC's award winning Middle East correspondent, Matt Brown. In this gripping film, Matt Brown and cameraman Aaron Hollett, capture the fight to take back the city of Mosul from the IS forces which overran the city two years ago, shocking the world with the speed and the ferocity of their victory. The filming for this story began in October last year when Iraqi forces, backed by US and Australian air power, began their offensive to reclaim Mosul. Over the course of three journeys to the frontline, Matt and Aaron recorded the experiences of the soldiers fighting to liberate their home towns, and the civilians caught in the crossfire. Despite the grief, there are moments of happiness and relief as families are reunited when the IS fighters are pushed back. After months of fighting, government forces enter the suburbs of Mosul. But the city was far from secure, with the pair coming under fire. And in interviews with the former commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, General David Petraeus and his then advisor, former Chief Strategist for the State Dept, David Kilcullen, outline just how hard it will be to truly claim victory against IS.

Crown Confidential: Packer's Losing Hand. James Packer and his Crown gambling and entertainment empire have bet big, for more than a decade on China, and its VIP gamblers. These high rollers have fuelled Crown's booming businesses in Asia and Australia. But one night in October 2016, all that was turned on its head. Fifteen Crown employees and a number of associates were swept into custody in a carefully co-ordinated series of raids across four cities in China. Crown's operations had run headlong into China's biggest ever corruption crackdown, leaving its business model in disarray. Four Corners investigates what went wrong for Crown in China. Reporter Marian Wilkinson pieces together the key characters and events in the lead up to the arrests. And explores what this means for Crown's casino business here in Australia, especially the multi-billion dollar Barangaroo project in Sydney, as the bottom falls out of their Chinese high roller market.

'A Helluva Ride' - The Trump Revolution Begins. Four Corners returns for 2017 with an incisive exploration of how President Donald Trump will wield his power. Through interviews with key players in the Trump camp and the Republican Party, the program examines the political earthquake rippling across America. In his first assignment for Four Corners, reporter Michael Brissenden draws on his experience during his time as the ABC's Washington correspondent to explain just how revolutionary the presidency of Donald Trump is. He talks to those who know Trump well, asking how we should read the President's actions. And explores what a Trump presidency means for key issues like climate change and foreign policy. Trump supporters are still savouring the President's victory. While Trump's opponents vow to fight him every step of the way in Congress and in the courts.

An unflinching portrait of Australia's remote Indigenous communities and their struggle to survive. Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently provoked furious debate by describing life in these communities as a "lifestyle choice" and the Commonwealth has withdrawn its funding. Communities in Western Australia are now facing possible closure, provoking protests around the country. But this Four Corners report confronts the uncomfortable truth about life in these communities. The Four Corners team travelled across the rugged Kimberley region of Western Australia to visit some of the settlements under threat. In some, they found grinding poverty, no jobs and little hope. In others they were told of appalling stories of sexual abuse and neglect. But they also found community leaders determined to tackle the dysfunction.

Marian Wilkinson examines the campaign being waged against the Federal Government over climate change policy that will put a price on Australia's greenhouse gas emissions for the first time.

Right now there are over 4,000 people held in immigration detention centres across Australia. On average, asylum seekers remain in detention for around a year, but that figure hides a group of people who remain locked away for much longer periods of time. Just over a year ago, the Federal Government announced it would begin releasing children into the community to minimise the harm caused by their incarceration. At the same time, thousands of adults remain locked away in detention centres remote from the rest of the world - a situation that's concerning to many healthcare professionals.

Antibiotics are the wonder drugs of modern medicine. They've allowed doctors to save and extend life by killing infection and enabling ground breaking surgery. But imagine a world where antibiotics don't work?

Slaving away: The dirty secrets behind Australia's fresh food. It's in your fridge and on your table: the fresh food that we take for granted. But there's a dirty secret behind it. Much of it is picked and packed by a hidden army of migrant workers who are ruthlessly exploited. A Four Corners investigation has uncovered gangs of black market workers run by unscrupulous labour hire contractors operating on farms and in factories around the country. The produce they supply ends up in our major supermarkets and fast food chains. These labour hire contractors prey upon highly vulnerable young foreigners, many with very limited English, who have come to Australia with dreams of working in a fair country. They're subjected to brutal working hours, degrading living conditions and the massive underpayment of wages. Reporter Caro Meldrum-Hanna has obtained undercover footage and on-camera accounts of this dark world.

Australians love a bargain, but what's the real cost of cheap clothes from the sweat shops in Bangladesh? On 24th April this year more than a thousand people were killed when an eight story building collapsed in the heart of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka.

Rehab Inc: The high price parents pay to get their kids off ice. Across Australia, there are parents risking everything to rescue their children from ice addiction. To end this living nightmare, they'll seize on any chance to get help for their child. But that chance of rehabilitation can come at an enormous cost. Publicly funded rehabilitation beds are in short supply and have waiting lists running into months. So instead, these families turn to private clinics. And they charge a fortune. Parents are risking bankruptcy to get their child a place. They're encouraged to access their superannuation or to re-mortgage their homes in order to pay out tens of thousands of dollars to ensure their child gets in quickly. And the price is driven by demand, rather than the service provided. And the lack of regulation is shocking. Even some private operators concede families risk being ripped off.

Backing Bourke: An outback town's bold experiment to save its young people from a life of crime. This famous bush town has one of the worst crime rates in Australia. With startling rates of domestic violence, assault and property crime, too many of Bourke's residents end up in jail. Fed up with losing their young to prison, the indigenous people of Bourke have decided to take a risk on a bold experiment to try and turn their town around. It's based on a groundbreaking American approach called Justice Reinvestment that tries to prevent crime through simple targeted programs. It's been so successful that in places like Texas, the state has actually been closing prisons down. But can this same idea work in outback Australia? Backed by wealthy philanthropists, not government, the community is putting the theory to the test with practical ideas, like offering free driving lessons. It's diverting people from jail time as driving without a license is a chronic problem in the outback. And it's also trying to change attitudes, prompting the men of Bourke to take a long hard look at themselves and stand up as leaders. Two months after the landmark Four Corners program Australia's Shame exposed the scandalous treatment of juvenile offenders, Backing Bourke provides a glimmer of hope for communities around Australia that are struggling to break the cycle of youth crime.

China Rising: The challenges for Australia as China and the US struggle for supremacy in Asia. Reporter Peter Greste joins Four Corners for a special report on the rise of China and its escalating contest with the United States in the Asia Pacific region. In interviews with key players from the world of diplomacy and strategic affairs, the program explores how Australia is trying to balance two competing interests. Greste and a Four Corners team travelled to the South China Sea to investigate the rising tensions caused by China's rapid military expansion. As the standoff intensifies, the program examines the growing pressure on Australia to take sides.

For Better or Worse: How the personal has become political in the fight over same sex marriage. On the eve of the Labor vote which will determine whether the same sex marriage plebiscite goes ahead, Four Corners investigates the politics at work behind the debate. When the Abbott-led Coalition Government emerged from a marathon party room meeting last year to announce there would be a public vote on the legalisation of same sex marriage, it sparked a passionate debate. Some were suspicious. Since then, politicians of every political stripe have been deliberating over the legalisation of same sex marriage and the means by which that decision should be made. Four Corners has been charting the strategy employed by each side, and has been given behind the scenes access to many of the key players in this debate as they make their case. Four Corners talks to them about the tactics they are employing, and asks how much of the discussion is about conviction and how much is about the art of politics.

The Forgotten Children: The young refugees stranded on Nauru. They're the human face of Australia's tough border policies - the more than 100 refugee children living on Nauru. Four Corners speaks to children and young people recognised as refugees, released from detention, but trapped in limbo. In footage filmed for Four Corners and smuggled out of the country, these children talk of their experiences over the last three years. Both the Nauruan and Australian governments say they want the refugees moved on from Nauru, but they have been unable to reach agreements on where else they could be sent. While that stalemate continues, many of these children are struggling to hang on to hope. Back in Australia, the experience of these refugees has had a lasting impact on the teachers who had to leave them behind.

These are Australia's most vulnerable kids, betrayed and neglected, not only by their parents but by the system designed to protect them. They're known as 'resi kids' after the group homes they live in, run by private operators and charities. Some were taken into care as babies, others after years of abuse. They're often difficult to manage but desperately in need of help. In this searing Four Corners investigation, we reveal that rather than protecting and nurturing these children, some private operators are treating them as badly as the families they escaped. It's prompted some in the child protection system to brand their treatment a national failure and call for the entire resi care system to be shut down. This investigation, nearly three months in the making, continues online in a special digital feature with further revelations of systemic failings.

Four Corners brings you the powerful story of one of its own, veteran reporter Liz Jackson, as she comes to terms with a devastating illness. For nearly 20 years, Liz Jackson reported from the frontlines of war and politics for Four Corners, winning nine Walkley awards for excellence in journalism, including the Gold Walkley in 2006 as well as three Logie Awards. But after she left the program in 2013, her health collapsed. She was losing her physical strength and her ability to write, and was suffering from crippling panic attacks. Liz was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Despite a barrage of medication, Liz continued to deteriorate. So with unflinching honesty, Liz Jackson has turned the camera on herself. She brings her fierce intellect and penetrating questioning to try and understand her illness - interrogating her doctors and comparing experiences with fellow patients. This moving film is a collaboration between Liz, her partner Martin Butler and his colleague Bentley Dean, both highly acclaimed film makers. This 55-minute special program, made in partnership with the ABC, Contact Films, Screen Australia and Film Victoria will also be available on ABC iview along with a selection of Liz Jackson's most memorable films.

Shark attacks are turning our beaches into places of fear. On the beaches around Ballina, on the north coast of NSW, that fear is palpable. With nine attacks, one of them fatal, in the last 12 months, people are asking why and demanding action. Four Corners investigates why these sudden spikes occur. Millions of dollars have been outlaid by State governments in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia on prevention and protection measures; but is it money well spent? Environmental activists point to the high price paid by other marine life in the quest to make the ocean safe. And there's intense debate over whether these anti-shark measures actually work.