60 Minutes

CHARLOTTE'S WISH
If the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has his way, from the end of next year children under 16 will be banned from social media. That's right, for Australian kids, soon there will be no more access to Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and all those other addictive apps. Taking on the world's tech giants is a bold move by the government, and there are valid questions about how such a ban might be enforced. As Adam Hegarty reports, if anyone needs a compelling reason for urgent action, they need only know the confronting and tragic story of 12-year-old Charlotte O'Brien. She was a victim of cruel bullying, much of it delivered online, and it was her wish that Australians understand the truth: Social media can kill.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Anne Worthington

SUCKED IN
It's hardly surprising, but once again Australians have been sucked in by the duplicity of "Big Tobacco" and its apologists. When that industry could no longer lie about the deadly effects of cigarettes, it promised to clean up its act. Its bosses started promoting vaping as an easy aid to quit smoking. But we now know that claim has turned out to be another untruth. What vapes have really done is hook a new generation – children – on nicotine. After years of indifference, the federal government has finally woken up to the ruse by introducing tough new laws making it illegal to import or sell vapes. However, in a joint investigation by 60 MINUTES, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Eryk Bagshaw discovers Canberra's crackdown on these products might already be too late to be effective.
Reporter: Eryk Bagshaw
Producer: Laura Sparkes

Villains or Victims?
Back when it happened, greed was the simple explanation that went with the headlines. Lyle and Erik Menendez had shot dead their wealthy parents in the family's Beverly Hills mansion to get their hands on a $14 million inheritance. Of course, the brothers denied that was the case. In court they said they killed because their evil father had been sexually abusing them. But they weren't believed. Found guilty, the pair were sentenced to life behind bars, without parole. Now though, 35 years later, Tara Brown reports there's not only new evidence but enormous support from armchair detectives around the world who are convinced the Menendez brothers really are victims, not villains. So should they be freed?
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Serge Negus, Sheree Gibson

Get Shorty
Rotting in prison for decades now, Stephen "Shorty" Jamieson's file is marked "Never to be released". He is one of Australia's most reviled criminals, because in 1988 Jamieson was the ringleader of group of young thugs who abducted, raped and murdered 20-year-old Janine Balding. It was a truly shocking crime. But Jamieson has always denied any involvement in the murder, repeatedly saying he wasn't even there. Most people would easily dismiss the pleas of a despised murderer, but as Nick McKenzie reports, a number of eminent experts have listened. They've been reviewing Stephen "Shorty" Jamieson's file and are now questioning his conviction.
Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Producers: Amelia Ballinger, Anthony Dowsley

It started as a beautiful summer morning, warm and sunny, but ended as one of the darkest days in Australia's history. December 15, 2014, is indelibly seared into the nation's psyche as the moment when terrorism came to the heart of Sydney.

Ten years on, this Sunday, Peter Overton presents a powerful special edition of 60 MINUTES, remembering the 17 hours of terror at the Lindt Café siege.

At 8.33am on that horrific day, lone-wolf gunman Man Haron Monis, claiming allegiance to Islamic State, walked into the popular café and shortly thereafter took 18 innocent people hostage. Threatening not only to shoot his captives, but also to detonate bombs he'd planted around the city, Monis wreaked havoc until 2.13am the following morning.

When the ordeal was over, not only was the terrorist dead – tragically, so were two hostages, Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.

Through the recollections of survivors inside the café, as well as the perspectives of police and political leaders charged with ending the siege, this program is a showcase of the bravery of the men and women whose lives continue to be affected by that awful day.

It is also a tribute to the memories of the victims and a timely reminder to heed the painful lessons learnt from the tragedy to ensure such a crime never happens again in Australia.