Four Corners

They are the hidden workforce kept behind closed doors.

Domestic workers, in Australia, living in slave like conditions and made to work around the clock.

This powerful Four Corners reveals disturbing cases of extreme overwork and underpayment and explains why those responsible are getting away with it.

Secret parties, sly booze and slinky cocktail dresses are a long way from the conservative images usually associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

For decades the Republic's morals police have enforced strict rules that seem to cover just about everything, from dog ownership, which is banned, to clothing.

Drinking alcohol is punishable with 40 lashes. Repeat offenders can face the death penalty.

Despite the rules, many young people in Iran are rebelling. They're taking their lives in their hands and defying the regime to party in secret.

Across Australia, farmers, small businesses, government planners and major corporations have stopped waiting for politicians to decide whether climate change is real. They're acting now.

Mounting evidence suggests our changing climate is having an impact on everything - from what we grow, eat and drink, to house prices and the cost of insurance.

Four Corners has travelled from coast to coast to chart how Australians are adapting to the new weather challenges.

Australia's population is growing fast, we've added almost 400,000 people in the last year, and we're feeling the strain. Ben Knight investigates what a Big Australia means and the difficult choices that will have to be made.

The sex scandal that has engulfed American film producer Harvey Weinstein triggered headlines around the world and prompted a searing discussion about the treatment of women.

Much of the attention has focussed on the actresses who say they were preyed upon by the movie mogul.

Behind the scenes, there were other women, work colleagues and employees, who allege that Harvey Weinstein used his power to abuse them.

They kept their experiences secret for decades, fearing legal action and reprisal. Now they are speaking out.

The Australia Taxation Office is a formidable enforcer with extraordinary powers.

It can raid your home or business without a warrant, it can compel you to answer questions and treat you as guilty until proven innocent.

While there's strong public support for a crackdown on major multinational corporations to force them to pay their fair share, there is growing concern that the Tax Office is targeting people a long way from the big end of town.

In a major joint Four Corners/Fairfax investigation, reporter Adele Ferguson puts the actions of the Tax Office under the microscope, examining how it uses its extensive powers.

"I was instrumental. I was at the heart of it." Chris Wylie, former Cambridge Analytica director of research

Four Corners brings you the undercover investigation that has left social media giant Facebook reeling through the unmasking of the secretive political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Four months in the making, this ITN investigation for Channel 4 in Britain used hidden cameras to reveal the tactics used by the UK firm Cambridge Anayltica to influence elections and undermine the democratic process in several countries.

There are millions being made in the Australian marijuana business but these entrepreneurs and investors aren't risking jail to make their fortunes.

They're betting big on the home grown medicinal marijuana industry and riding the "pot stock" boom.

But with patients struggling to access cannabis products, Four Corners investigates who is making money out of the marijuana boom.

Four Corners charts the rise of this industry which has grown from nowhere in just a few years.

https://tv.press.abc.net.au/green-rush-four-corners

Today, 60% of Australian adults are classified as overweight or obese. By 2025 that figure is expected to rise to 80%.

Many point the finger at sugar - which we're consuming in enormous amounts - and the food and drink industry that makes and sells the products fuelled by it.

Despite doctors' calls for urgent action, there's been fierce resistance by the industry to measures aimed at changing what we eat and drink, like the proposed introduction of a sugar tax.

On Monday night Four Corners investigates the power of Big Sugar and its influence on public policy.

I am that girl: The case that put sexual consent on trial.

On Monday night, the young woman at the centre of one of Australia's most controversial rape trials talks to Four Corners.

"The 18-year old in the story is me. Those awful things happened to me. I am that girl."

She was a teenage virgin on her first night out in Sydney's King Cross. He was the son of a wealthy night club owner. They met on the dance floor. Minutes later, he ushered her out into a laneway. What happened next has had devastating consequences for both of them.

"Was a sick night. Took a chick's virginity, lol." Text message sent by the young man

The young man had sex with the teenager, without her consent, but the court found it wasn't rape.

"Whether or not she consented is but one matter. Whether or not the accused knew that she was not consenting is another." Judge

The man's acquittal, on the grounds that he didn't know the teenager had not consented, shocked many and provoked troubling questions about how the law interprets consent in rape cases. The young woman says she's still haunted by the ordeal.

"It got to be over for everybody else. There's no other avenues. Everyone's done, everyone goes home, and then it's just me. And I'm still here…I'm still living it."

Under the law, the young woman's identity has been kept secret. Now she has chosen to speak to Four Corners in the hope that others will learn from her experience.

"I've spent far too long feeling embarrassed and ashamed."

In a searing interview, she talks of how the incident and the years of legal action have impacted on her life.

"No-one dreams of their first time being in an alleyway with someone whose name they can't even remember."

This shocking account serves as a serious warning about the need to understand what consent is and the consequences of getting it wrong.

"The criminal law is a blunt and brutal method of social education...You shouldn't have to rely on the criminal law as the key mechanism for doing that." Barrister

One of those responsible for drafting those laws is now calling for change.

"There has to be some way to ensure that this ‘reasonable belief' as to consent concept is a bit more foolproof." Law professor

This episode of Four Corners is a French TV report, "Banksters" by Jerome Fritel & Marc Roche, on the scandalous conduct of HSBC.

"You have to ask: if you don't prosecute these people, who the hell are you going to prosecute?" Former US Senate investigator

HSBC is one of the world's largest and most powerful financial institutions with offices on five continents, including in Australia. It likes to spruik its financial might and global reach. Behind the corporate gloss, it has a far less attractive reputation. The bank has been at the centre of several of the biggest financial scandals uncovered this century.

"Affiliates of drug cartels were literally walking into bank branches with hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of US cash…that didn't happen once, it didn't happen twice, it happened systematically over the course of about a decade." Former US Deputy Federal Prosecutor

HSBC, or the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation has been implicated in a raft of illegal activities, from money laundering for the mafia, to enabling tax evasion and currency manipulation.

"No matter where you live, no matter what kind of business you are in, if you wish to enter the offshore system, HSBC is likely to be your bank." Investigative journalist

In this global investigation, the role of HSBC in these scandals is laid bare.

"There is simultaneously drug money, money from terrorism, money from Belgian diamond dealers, money of the French dental surgeons, money of the elite and the world of showbiz, of French and European aristocracy... it was a national sport, hiding money in Switzerland and at HSBC." Reporter

Despite the revelations, the bank has flourished, leaving investigators frustrated.

"How many billions of dollars do you have to launder for drug lords before somebody says, ‘We're shutting you down'?" US Senator

The film raises disturbing questions about who is in charge of regulating the banks in an increasingly globalised financial world.

"Who has jurisdiction over an institution that operates in a hundred countries? Who has the responsibility for taking on that kind of criminal undertaking?" Former US Senate investigator

Regulators stand accused of failing to adequately punish the bank and impose penalties that hold HSBC to account.

"Are we capable of regulating the banks properly? Of course we are. Do we want to, is really the probably important question." UK MP

With the rise of China, HSBC is positioning itself as the bank of choice to drive China's global economic ambitions, which makes investigators uneasy.

"As you have firms of the stature and the size of HSBC marrying up with rising Chinese banks that are now so huge, it's a recipe for potential disaster." Former undercover agent, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

This episode of Four Corners screens a shortened version of the 2017 human rights documentary Complicit, directed by Heather White & Lynn Zhang.

Filmed over 3 years it investigates the Chinese workers paying the price for our mobile phone obsession.

"There were iPhone screens and Nokia screens…I held the phone screen in my left hand, and a piece of cloth in my right hand… Wiping was the only thing I did besides eating and sleeping." Teenage worker

Mobile phones, smartphones and tablets have revolutionised the way we communicate but the technology we are addicted to has had toxic consequences.

"I knew we worked with chemicals, but I had no idea that it's poison." Young worker

China produces approximately 90% of the world's consumer electronics. The factories making the components for these electronic goods are filled with young workers. Some have been exposed to poisonous chemicals, with devastating results.

"Many co-workers developed the exact same symptoms. When I walked, it looked like I had uneven legs. It would take 10 minutes to take a two-minute walk. My legs felt too heavy to move." Worker

This investigation, filmed secretly over four years, exposed the use of harmful chemicals in the factories producing the products many of us use. Hidden cameras captured the working conditions inside the factories churning out these products.

"It was the cleaning solution he used, which contained benzene, when he was working at the electronics factory that caused his disease." Father of sick worker

The film charts the growing realisation amongst the workers that their illnesses stem from their work and follows their fight for compensation.

"After we discovered so many workers with leukemia…more media reports followed up and showed that these workers were chemically poisoned." Worker activist

The landmark investigation led Apple to ban the use of benzene, a known carcinogen, and n-hexane, a chemical that damages the nervous system.

But the ban does not apply to subcontractors who make up two-thirds of Apple's supply chain. And around 500 other chemicals are still used to produce electronics, mostly in the developing world, where there are few or no regulations to protect the workers who make them.

"Many of the workers that I've helped got occupational diseases due to exposure to toxic chemicals. Many are from the electronics industry. They made cell phones, computers, semiconductors etc." Worker activist

On Four Corners, our investigation tells the story of your out of pocket medical expenses.

"You go for years paying premium fees into a fund. You call on it once and you're out of pocket. It sort of doesn't add up to me!" Patient

We've put you, the patient, at the centre of this investigation. Nine weeks ago we placed a call out, across ABC programs and social media, asking you to send us your bills. Hundreds of people across the country responded.

"The results are shocking and certainly show how out of pocket expenses are undermining the Australian private health care system." Dr Norman Swan

In this joint Four Corners investigation with Dr Norman Swan from RN's Health Report, the program examines what's driving these out of pocket expenses.

"As doctors we frequently make decisions based on what we think our patients need and can afford." Doctors' representative

Millions of Australians fork out big money for private health insurance believing it will give them their choice of specialist and Rolls Royce service. Yet many, at a time of great personal crisis, are saddled with bills for treatment, leaving them thousands of dollars out of pocket and wondering why they bothered paying for insurance at all.

"You live in this world where you have Medicare, a universal health fund, and you've got a private health fund, you're paying into that substantial fees, and low and behold, you're $18,000 out of pocket when you have one operation." Patient

Many blame Medicare and the private health funds, but often the cause of out of pocket expenses lies elsewhere and this eye-opening program reveals some hard truths for patients.

"Where you live can have an influence on whether you're charged a gap and also the treatment that you're trying to access." Health insurance industry spokesperson

For patients to get the best quality care for the money they pay, they need to rethink what high charging specialists actually deliver.

"Some people out in the community feel that someone who's got very lush premises as their rooms, who charge high fees are clearly much better than other surgeons. There is no evidence that's the case. I think that's very important the public understands that." Surgeons' representative

It's the story of the century: The US President and his connections to Russia.

In a Four Corners special series, award winning investigative reporter Sarah Ferguson follows the spies and the money trail from Washington, to London, to Moscow.

Months in the making, filmed across the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia, Sarah Ferguson charts the extraordinary allegations, interrogating the evidence and interviewing central characters in this unfolding story that could be lifted from the pages of a blockbuster spy novel.

In this three-part series, Four Corners delivers a riveting account of the allegations and evidence from the characters central to the drama that has gripped the world.

Part 1: Follow the Money: Four Corners follows the money trail from New York to Moscow, tracking the ties between Trump, his business empire and Russia.

It's the story of the century: The US President and his connections to Russia.

In a Four Corners special series, award winning investigative reporter Sarah Ferguson follows the spies and the money trail from Washington, to London, to Moscow.

Months in the making, filmed across the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia, Sarah Ferguson charts the extraordinary allegations, interrogating the evidence and interviewing central characters in this unfolding story that could be lifted from the pages of a blockbuster spy novel.

In this three-part series, Four Corners delivers a riveting account of the allegations and evidence from the characters central to the drama that has gripped the world.

Part 2: Secrets, spies and useful idiots: Four Corners speaks to key protagonists at the centre of the unfolding drama over members of the Trump team accused of being compromised by Russia.

It's the story of the century: The US President and his connections to Russia.

In a Four Corners special series, award winning investigative reporter Sarah Ferguson follows the spies and the money trail from Washington, to London, to Moscow.

Months in the making, filmed across the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia, Sarah Ferguson charts the extraordinary allegations, interrogating the evidence and interviewing central characters in this unfolding story that could be lifted from the pages of a blockbuster spy novel.

In this three-part series, Four Corners delivers a riveting account of the allegations and evidence from the characters central to the drama that has gripped the world.

Part 3: Moscow Rules: Four Corners investigates the central allegations that members of the Trump team, including possibly the President himself, actively colluded with Russia to subvert American democracy.

Monday's Four Corners story "Second Chance Kids" is produced by PBS Frontline and looks at US teen criminals sentenced to life in jail.

"How much punishment is enough?" Lawyer

Being tough on crime has become a popular mantra for political parties. Law and order debates are frequently fuelled by tabloid headlines calling for a crackdown on crime. The result is often harsher sentencing. In the United States it's led to thousands of prisoners facing mandatory life sentences for crimes they committed as teenagers.

"A super-predator is a young juvenile criminal who is so impulsive, so remorseless that he can kill, rape, maim without giving it a second thought." Forensic psychologist

Now there's debate over whether these prisoners should be given a second chance at life.

"To say to any child of 13 that you're only fit to die in prison is cruel." US Lawyer

In this compelling documentary, the film makers follow the cases of two of these now adult prisoners who expected to spend their entire lives behind bars."I was a bad kid. I was an angry kid. But I don't think I was so to the point where OK now you're going to be a kid that dies in prison." Prisoner

With exclusive access, the film closely documents their legal bid for freedom following a landmark court case.

"I've changed and I'm not the same individual. But I feel ashamed of what I did." Prisoner

We witness the confrontation between the perpetrators, guilty of murder, and the families of their victims in emotionally charged parole hearings.

"He was my only son and I'll never forgive him, ever!" Victim's mother

As juvenile offenders across the US await their potential re-sentencing, Second Chance Kids asks tough questions about crime and punishment.

"There are some people who should never be released…there are some crimes, in my opinion, that are so deleterious to our community that individuals deserve to go to jail for life." Prosecutor

For the two prisoners, their chance of a new life presents them with the challenge of how to live after decades behind bars.

This episode of Four Corners, reported by Linton Besser and presented by Michael Brissenden, investigates some of the worst biosecurity breaches in Australian history, uncovering sophisticated smuggling operations, inadequate enforcement and corruption.

"The department has a problem. There is a vast number of containers coming in…They're struggling to maintain the barrier." Investigator

Last year a devastating exotic disease wiped out much of Queensland's prawn industry, threatening a lucrative trade based on our "clean" reputation and undermining faith in Australia's supposedly fortress-like borders.

"It's the canary in the coal mine… there are some problems with our border security that obviously need to be addressed to make sure this doesn't happen again." Scientist

Official inquiries narrowed in on contaminated seafood illegally imported from Asia.

"These are low-grade prawns, you don't want them inspected by anybody. They probably glow in the dark." Biosecurity official

Now a Four Corners investigation will reveal how Australia's biosecurity measures were defeated by sophisticated smugglers.

"A substantial number…were deliberately and cold-bloodedly gaming the department. The profits to be made from getting a container past the department were huge." Investigator

The program pieces together the dramatic fight to contain the outbreak and uncover the cause.

"I'll never forget that day because I was out in my boat in the morning just working on reefs and I got this phone call saying, ‘Can you keep a secret?'" Marine scientist

Insiders talk about the cut-throat nature of the industry and the huge profits to be made by those breaking the law.

"We had to choose whether we were going to follow their lead, or we were going to say no and act properly." Importer

Investigators warn that Australia's biosecurity regime can be easily exploited.

"Would you put a burglar in charge of a bank? That's what self-regulation is about. There is no incentive for an importer to do the right thing." Investigator

The concern goes well beyond the seafood industry, with the program set to detail another significant breach that threatened a multi-billion-dollar industry.

"It was like a rotten onion. We were peeling away a layer to find a more rotten layer underneath. So, everywhere we turned, everywhere we looked things were getting worse." Executive

Michael Brissenden examines the secrets and scandals in Australia's horse racing industry.

On the surface, Australia's racing industry has never been better. With a prize pool that's grown to more than $600 million it's one of the biggest industries in the country, employing more than 50,000 people. But away from the glamour all is not well in the sport of kings.

"People are leaving this sport in droves." Horse Trainer

Die-hard racing identities are worried.

"We all love our horses. But we seem to get knocked from pillar to post, one scandal after another." Thoroughbred Owner

"A scandal like this certainly does rank right up there. This is a big one." Racing commentator

In 2017 an astonishingly audacious doping conspiracy was uncovered. Five trainers and three stable hands were found guilty of taking part in Victoria's Aquanita doping scandal, but questions remain.

"How anyone could look at this situation and say, well that's it, all done, we've got the guilty people, and move on, just has you shaking your head." Racing Industry analyst

In the wake of the scandal, described as one of the darkest and longest chapters in the history of the sport, high profile racing figures are questioning how the sport is being policed.

"How did this happen for so long, what processes were in place that failed the racing industry, failed punters, failed the horses?" Racing form analyst

The damage done by the Aquanita doping conspiracy isn't the only problem facing the industry. The loss of high profile sponsors, the difficulty in attracting racegoers and concerns about animal cruelty have the racing fraternity on edge.

"Once punters lose confidence in the sport the whole system breaks down because without punters racing doesn't exist, without owners who put on the show racing doesn't exist." Racing Commentator.

Four Corners Mark Willacy is on the ground in Thailand to report on the extraordinary rescue mission to save the Wild Boars football team.

The story of a brave young soccer team gripped the world.

The extraordinary international effort to find and rescue 12 boys and their coach from a remote cave in northern Thailand was watched closely by millions.

On Monday Four Corners documents this wonderful and tragic tale from the day the boys first disappeared until the joyous moment the last person left the cave.

Reporter Mark Willacy is in northern Thailand for this special report.

Out Of The Dark, reported by Mark Willacy and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

AMP was once a trusted blue chip Australian company but its reputation is now in tatters following evidence before the Financial Services Royal Commission that it charged customers fees for no service and repeatedly lied about it to the corporate regulator.

On Monday Four Corners investigates how AMP ripped off its customers and details the extraordinary measures it took to conceal its actions.

In a revealing interview a former financial planner gives an insider's account of the tactics used by AMP to cheat customers out of their own money.

On Four Corners on Monday night, Sophie McNeill reports how Australia is accused of failing to stand up for democracy in Cambodia, as it descends into dictatorship.

"You don't drink champagne with the dictators." Opposition Leader

For more than three decades Cambodia has been ruled by one man, Prime Minister Hun Sen, who came to power in the country's first democratic elections after the horror years of the Khmer Rouge. Australia played a key role in the peace deal that ended the bloody civil war, but the once bright hopes for democracy have long since faded.

"We were tremendously successful in bringing peace to Cambodia, but we weren't at all successful in bringing democracy and human rights." Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans

Ahead of this weekend's elections, the Hun Sen regime launched a ruthless crackdown on the political opposition and free press. On Monday, in her first story for Four Corners, reporter Sophie McNeill travels to Cambodia to confront the man whose political opponents have been imprisoned and assassinated in mysterious circumstances.

Sophie McNeil: The world says this is not a democracy…

Hun Sen: No, no, no. No this is not (right).

While steadily cementing their grip on power, Hun Sen and his family and cronies are accused of amassing enormous wealth through a corrupt and nepotistic system.

"There's nothing that happens there that they don't control, and that is corruption in its most egregious form. That's what it's like in Cambodia. It is a Mafia state." Patrick Alley, Director Global Witness

Four Corners has uncovered evidence of how the regime's wealth has been used to buy properties and businesses in Australia, where some of Hun Sen's relatives have established a base for building support, sometimes through threats and intimidation.

"They allow this foreign government to intimidate our people, Australian citizens, and those who come here to study. This is not right." Hong Lim, Victorian MP

Since 2014, Australia has granted the regime $40 million in additional aid, in return for taking some of Australia's unwanted refugees, and the Turnbull government upgraded ties with Cambodia last year. While the US has begun moves to sanction the regime by freezing assets and blocking visas, international observers accuse the Australian government of cosying up to Hun Sen.

"I would like to see Australia take a strong stance, (to) come out openly and condemn the Hun Sen regime. They're not doing that." US Congressman

While hopes for democracy have disintegrated, China has moved to dramatically expand its presence and power in the country.

"Cambodia has the coast, Cambodia has minerals, Cambodia has forest, Cambodia has a dictator. You can buy it all." Opposition Leader

As Hun Sen prepares to tighten his grip on power after this weekend's elections, Cambodia's democracy campaigners say they feel abandoned.

"Cambodia look up at the people of Australia. We envy you. You live in a world of democracy, but your government is disappointing. Very disappointing." Opposition Leader

Facebook says it's on a mission to be the place where people connect and "bring the world closer together". More than a billion people are on the social networking site every day, posting their thoughts, pictures, and videos.

But alongside the family photos and FOMO inducing holiday videos is content that is truly disturbing.

This British investigation has exposed the inner workings of the social media giant to reveal how and why content moderation decisions are made.

"Hi guys! So this is my boob job vlog, I'm sooo excited! This is how you choose your breast size!" YouTube star

Welcome to the new world of enhanced "beauty" where there's nothing natural about the faces and bodies created by cosmetic procedures.

Fuelled by social media influencers on Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, cosmetic surgery has entered the mainstream.

"What I'm finding is, instead of hiding it, like they would have a few years ago, most people are kind of flaunting it...I've had my lips done, I've had my cheeks done. I've had a little bit in my jaw." Social media influencer

The "Insta Effect" of social media has seen growing numbers of young women choosing to alter their appearance, as though it's as simple as buying a new set of clothes.

"The problem I get is that people perceive a cosmetic procedure to have limited or no risk and only upside, and that's not the case." Surgeon

Doctors offering cosmetic surgery are becoming social media stars in their own right and it's redefining the meaning of their doctor/patient relations.

"They write to you... 'Look, here's my Insta page, I've got this many loyal followers. If you perform surgery for me, I will promote you on my page.'" Surgeon

From dermal fillers and Botox, to butt lifts and breast implants, women are undergoing treatments that could change their lives forever, and not in the ways they were expecting.

"It looked deformed. It was sitting way higher than the other one. It was very out of shape." Patient

Reporter Louise Milligan has uncovered cases of women left disfigured and in pain, struggling to find the money to afford corrective surgery to give them back their dignity.

Underpinning the growth in the industry is a business model targeting women who can barely afford the procedures by selling the dream of a dream of a "new you".

"It was all about accessible surgery, advertising price point, that you can change your life for a coffee a day. You know, someone who has low self-esteem, who has low confidence, especially after going through a divorce or being on a single parenting pension."

As this investigation shows, when things go wrong, the physical and financial costs are devastating.

"I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. I couldn't do anything but sit there and cry in agony because it got to the point where it was so bad." Patient

Doctors left to pick up the pieces are warning that the booming industry is creating a dangerous legacy.

"It scares me. This is a big problem. And it's going to get bigger." Surgeon

Beauty's New Normal, reported by Louise Milligan and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

Having a child is supposed to be the most natural thing in the world, but knowing how to raise one can be another thing entirely. Even in the most loving families, parenthood can be incredibly daunting.

On Monday, Four Corners brings you the story of three mothers determined to learn how to change the way they raise their children.

With extensive access to the pioneering Safecare program for parents whose children are at risk of neglect or harm, Four Corners follows these families, and the social workers teaching them, as they learn back to basic skills.

How the Liberal Party tore itself apart.

This Four Corners investigation takes you inside a political catastrophe.

We chart the rise and fall of Malcolm Turnbull and the enemies that stalked him from within.

Steve Bannon's new world disorder.

"This revolution is global. It's coming to Australia." Steve Bannon

As the Liberal Party tries to piece itself back together after the chaos of last week, Four Corners brings you an interview with the man hoping to overthrow the entire political class.

"I think that Australia is going to be a hotbed of populism."

Steve Bannon put Donald Trump in the White House and rewrote the rules of modern politics along the way. Described as the most dangerous political operative in America, the strategist, renegade Republican and professional provocateur channelled the anger and disappointment of those who felt left behind by globalism to install Donald Trump as president.

"There's a lot of anger out there and I think that this anger can be harnessed."

Now, he's taking his cause to the world in a crusade to "save" western civilisation, as the leader of a global populist-nationalist movement. He calls it a revolution.

"Populism is about getting decision making away from a set of kind of global elites...and get it back to working class people."

In an age of upheaval, he sees opportunity. After playing a key role in Britain's Brexit campaign, he's been forging links with right wing nationalist groups across Europe, including the French National Front.

Australia is next on his radar. He's identified Australia as ripe for his brand of revolution and plans to bring it here.

"Australia is at the tip of the spear on this."

In an interview with Sarah Ferguson, Bannon outlines his manifesto for change and why it resonates with people around the world.

"It doesn't matter how many liberal journalists come in here and say 'Oh this is a bunch of fascists, this is a bunch of Nazis, this is a bunch of racists.' This... is not going to stop." Steve Bannon

Tonight Four Corners screens the BBC report, "Manchester Bomb: Our Story" on the teenage survivors rebuilding their lives from May 2017.

"My main present for Christmas last year was my Ariana Grande ticket…I'd never been to a concert before, so we were absolutely buzzing!" Caitlin

They were young girls and teenagers, on a night out to see their favourite pop star. Many were attending a concert, without their parents for the first time.

"Everything was just really exciting, really, it was new." Izzy

As the show ended, a terrorist detonated a home-made bomb packed with shrapnel.

"There was, like, music playing while we got up and I was just making my way out onto the stairs and then we heard, like, a boom sound." Niamh

22 people were killed, more than 250 injured and countless lives were impacted.

"We ran, and we were running for our lives. We didn't know what the hell was going to happen next." Charlotte

Filmed over many months, this program tells the story of several young survivors as they, and their families try to reclaim their lives.

"She wears a mask that to the outside world, she's fine. She's really not fine…People see this bright, bubbly, carefree girl, and I just think she wears this mask so well that sometimes she fools herself." Erin's mum

Some are able to return to their old routines, but in the privacy of their bedrooms, the girls reveal their struggles.

"It's times when you kind of let your guard down a little bit and you try and enjoy yourself and then you feel guilty for feeling that way and you feel guilty for getting on with your life when other people can't." Niamh

Despite their darker days, some are trying to find inspiration for the future.

"It's kind of made me realise like life is short and I want to do stuff and I want to get out there." Amelia

Who Cares? "They're all someone's mum, someone's dad."

A special two-part investigation of the failings in aged care.

"They're all someone's mum, someone's dad, someone's brother, someone's sister. They were all young once and they're just forgotten." Senior aged care consultant, NSW

On Monday Four Corners launches the first of a two-part special investigation into the treatment of the elderly in aged care homes.

"I was a personal carer in an aged care facility and I'm speaking out because people need to know what it's really like in a nursing home." Aged care worker, NSW

In the ABC's biggest crowd sourced investigation, we asked our audience to share with us their experiences of the aged care industry. More than 4,000 responded.

"I'm speaking up today for people that don't have a voice." Senior aged care consultant, Victoria

Many of those who have come forward are professionals who have extensive experience in the industry and are concerned by what they have seen.

"I believe our elderly deserve to have better care." Senior aged care consultant, NSW

In part one of this investigation, Four Corners examines the business of aged care and what that means for the vulnerable residents left in its care.

"When they go into have a look at a facility, they do see the glamour. They might see a sing along or a coffee club or something like that. They see the glitzy pictures and they don't know about the ground level care." Diversional therapist, Victoria

Families have also decided to speak out, with disturbing accounts of overworked staff and neglected residents.

"Within three weeks, she was no longer the person that she had been. Nan would never want to complain about things and when I was there I would verbally bring up things with the staff. No resolution was ever evident. And so I started filming it." Granddaughter

With families and aged care workers from around the country, Four Corners reveals the shameful lack of care and dignity experienced by many elderly Australians.

Reported by Anne Connolly and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

Part Two of the Four Corners special investigation into the failings in aged care.

On Monday Four Corners will detail shocking cases of abuse and premature deaths in our nursing homes.

"If this was happening to our children, we would be in there and we would be fixing it and solving it." Son, NSW

"You could see the hand bruising from her being picked up." Son, WA

"Mum had bruises on her wrists and black eyes, and whenever I said something to the staff, they said she had had a fall." Son, NSW

In part two of this Four Corners investigation, the program will reveal the abject failure of government regulation to protect the elderly.

"Her comment was, 'Will an apology do?' And I said, 'No, an apology will not do. You have to do your job, and you have to find out what happened, and make sure that this doesn't happen again.'" Daughter, NSW

Carers and families from across the country have come forward to tell their stories and demand change.

"I believe there are a lot of incidents like this that we don't know about. Families do not have a way of finding out the truth. He was a loving man, he cared for his family, he worked hard all his life. And he didn't deserve this ending." Daughter, NSW

Facing concerted efforts to cover up abuse and mistreatment, families are taking matters into their own hands to hold nursing homes to account.

"I wanted to know what really happened...The fact is that the right things hadn't been done, were not done for him, at his hour of need. And, these were merely just total lies." Daughter, NSW

Some families have resorted to installing hidden cameras to capture evidence.

"To make life easy, why don't we just put a camera in? You know, a little camera, clock camera? And we'll just see what's happening." Son, WA

They say that for too long the industry has been able to avoid rigorous public scrutiny.

"You can sit on the internet and book yourself a hotel, or a car, or a flight, and you can compare very easily, but in aged care it's not so easy." Former assessor

As this program will clearly show, there is much more to be done if our vulnerable elderly Australians are to be given the care and protection they deserve.

"To simply say that staff members have been educated and this won't happen again, doesn't give the family of the deceased any comfort at all, because it shouldn't have happened in the first place." Former assessor

Who Cares? reported by Anne Connolly and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

Proud Country: A portrait of a community surviving the drought.

"You may be on a bed of roses today, but the thorns always prick. So you just got to pull yourself together. Everyone pull together." Country Women's Association Branch Secretary

On Monday night, Four Corners brings you a story from the heart of the drought, a portrait of the land and its people, where the lack of rain is biting hard.

"I'd be joking to say that it's not tiring and I'm bit too old for this sort of stuff, but anyway, that's how it is." Farmer

It's pushing some to breaking point, but many in this proud country community are doing all they can to give others the strength to carry on.

"Yesterday was very emotional. A little old lady rings me up and she said to me ‘I'm 92 I'm going to give you $2000' and I thought ‘oh my godfather!'" Country Women's Association Branch Secretary

The people of Quirindi live and work on rich black soil country that they like to boast is the best in the land. Except when it hasn't rained properly for more than a year.

"I can remember looking at the cows and thinking, ‘Bloody hell, what are we going to do?'" Farmer

They opened their homes and their lives to reporter Michael Brissenden. Along the way, he encountered characters so large, they could have walked from the pages of Banjo Paterson story.

"Drought has no respect for a person, whether you're rich or poor." Country Women's Association Branch Secretary

From the thriving hub of the Country Women's Association, to an unexpected local victory on the dusty rugby field, he found people trying to find a sense of purpose and some joy under the relentless sun.

"It's a tough time at the moment so it's just good for the town to have something to rally around." Captain of the Quirindi Lions

Some are finding practical ways to make life that little more bearable with the donation of a haircut or a new pair of jeans.

"If we can make a few people feel a little bit better about themselves and know that there are people out there that care, I think that's just some small little gesture that we can do." Hairdresser

Despite their best efforts, you can sense the quiet desperation sitting just below the surface.

"Every week it's getting worse. You wouldn't think it could get worse, but it is. It's just got that real bad feel about it." Grain supplier

The parched landscape, exquisitely captured by Four Corners' cameras, reveals the profound impact this drought has had. And with winter slipping away, there are fears for what summer may bring.

"We're going into the hottest time of the year… the days are hotter, people haven't got water and there's no feed. So, time will tell." Contractor

Proud Country, reported by Michael Brissenden and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

Hidden cameras behind bars.

"We have live footage, no bullshit, live as it's unfolding." Prison riot mobile phone footage

A prison on fire, 600 inmates on the loose from their cells, and a band of prison officers desperately trying to contain a full-blown riot, all while footage of the violence is streamed live on social media.

"Who's got the keys man, who's got the keys blood?"

"Outta control mate, outta control." Rioting prisoners

This was not the scene from an action film blockbuster, it was frighteningly real.

"You could see staff were genuinely scared. You could see the fear in the face from everybody. Because the potential now for you to lose the jail was as real as it was going to get." Prison officer

The astonishing footage revealed a prison system at breaking point.

"They were filming to put it on social media so that they make the public aware - the way they were being treated in the prison, because nobody else is hearing them." Former prisoner

The riot, at a major prison in Britain, highlighted problems facing governments around the world, including in Australia: how to manage soaring prison populations driven by law and order debates and public demands for tougher sentencing.

"Prisons are in crisis. Violence continues to increase, but with so much violence, particularly assaults on staff, prisons are not under proper control and the risk of further riots must be substantial." Former head of the UK Prison Service

Using footage filmed by prisoners themselves in correctional facilities across the UK, the program reveals a system rife with drug use, violence and squalid living conditions.

"Cells were filthy. They were damp, they were dark, lavatories were blocked. There were rats, there were cockroaches." Chief prison inspector

The UK crisis has focused debate on the growing role of private companies in running prisons, among them global companies like G4S, which also operates in Australia.

"People just get lawless you know? Especially when there's not much staff around." Former prisoner

This revealing documentary opens a rare window into life behind bars and the pressures on those keeping watch.

"The government doesn't have a grip on the system and there's a cost in blood being paid." Former chief prison inspector

Prisons Uncovered, from Clover Films for ITV and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

How a cashed up gun industry has Australia's firearms laws in its sights.

"This is the gun industry lobby redux. They're back. And they're ready to spend." Gun law researcher

They're the new force in Australian politics - a lobby group funded and directed by major firearms sellers and manufacturers and they're taking aim at Australia's politicians.

"We're looking to enter a new era of engagement...We want governments to be held accountable for the decisions they make." Gun industry spokesperson

Their campaign represents a newly emboldened firearms industry set on changing Australia's gun laws.

"You've got an industry which is prepared to leap in. And they've got a lot of money." Gun law researcher

On Monday Four Corners investigates how the gun movement in Australia is reawakening and examines the new tactics they're employing to make their presence felt on the political scene.

"The campaign they were running had nothing to do with guns. The idea I think was to inspire people to move their vote to protest vote with minor parties." Campaign manager

The industry openly declares it wants to influence how governments are formed and the policies they enact.

"We were aiming for a government which couldn't be formed by majority." Gun industry spokesperson

Four Corners investigates the industry's political allegiances and how these connections are being used to chip away at gun laws around the country.

"There's been a lot of whittling away around the edges, trying to water down the effect of the law, to do anything possible to reduce the effect of the law for the convenience of shooters and the benefit of the arms industry." Gun law researcher

Some political allies say that gun ownership is not simply a matter of convenience, it's a national security issue.

"I want more firearms sold because I want more firearms, you know? I want more people involved in protecting our country." Politician

Those who delivered the national agreement to limit firearms after the Port Arthur massacre say Australians need to sit up and take notice.

"There is a muscling up by those making money out of a trade of guns into this country, and we need to watch that very closely." Gun control advocate

Big Guns, reported by Sean Nicholls and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

The sophisticated corporate campaign to future-proof the Crown.

"What you get now is a very packaged royalty...It is a very professional operation in spin management, media management, media operations." Author

For almost two weeks Australia has felt the full force of a royal charm offensive. The visit by the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has been a triumph for the Royal couple and the House of Windsor brand.

"I think the marriage...has injected a real shot of adrenaline into people's interest in the Royal Family." Tabloid royal correspondent

It's a world away from the scandalous 1990s when the Royal family was embroiled in a rolling series of crises, indiscretions and PR disasters leaving them out of fashion and out of step with the times. Some were even talking about the end of the monarchy itself.

"All bets were off with the Royals in the nineties. Spectacular own goals, things that 50 years earlier would have had discreet veils drawn over them: Camillagate, Squidgygate, Tampaxgate, all those terrible, terrible, gruesome little scandals." Author

On Monday Four Corners charts how the Royals have rebuilt their reputation and changed the way they manage "The Firm".

"From those ashes, a lot of lessons have been learned. There's obviously had to be more deliberate management about how people behave, what they're saying, what they're wearing." Global advertising consultant

"It was the Royal family accepting that things needed to change if they were to survive. Survival is the name of the game for the Royal family." Author

The program reveals a highly controlled operation with spin doctors and media management at the forefront.

"You don't see it but... what we see and read about the Royal family is pretty much controlled by them." Former Private Secretary to the Royal household

The Royals are increasingly bypassing traditional media and finding new ways to get their message out by joining the ranks of social media "influencers". Those combined efforts have resulted in one of the most spectacular rebranding exercises in modern times.

"In many ways, they've brought innovation. They're brand innovators to the Royal family." Global advertising consultant

This new image has helped divert attention away from questions over the funding and financial interests of the Royal household.

"We don't know where the money is invested. We don't know where it's spent. We don't know what the income is. We only know what they tell us." Former UK MP

As the palace prepares for the next generation to take the throne, Four Corners examines the very corporate campaign to future-proof the Crown.

Windsor Inc, reported by Louise Milligan and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

Fear and race on the streets of Melbourne.

"They're portraying us right now like we're demons." Young Sudanese man

For more than two years, the media has been reporting that Melbourne is in the grip of a crimewave, overrun by African street gangs responsible for a wave of violence and theft.

"We need to call it for what it is, of course this is African gang violence... people are scared to go out to restaurants of a night-time because they're followed home by these gangs." Peter Dutton, Federal Home Affairs Minister

Images of brawling Sudanese teens and hooded armed robbers have spread terror and stoked a growing anger towards those "of African appearance".

"You get stared at. Imagine someone's looking through you or looking ... someone's eyes are just burning into the side of your head. That's what it feels like." Young Sudanese man

Some residents say they are living in fear, the Sudanese community feels under siege and police are being accused of political correctness and inaction.

"They do all these criminal acts and you see on the news that they get away with it. Why do they get away with it?" Resident

Amongst the claims and counter claims, Four Corners reporter Sophie McNeill has spent weeks on the ground to get to the truth about "African" crime.

"We're seeing headlines and reporting that exacerbates the problem. Reporting on things that we're not necessarily seeing." Senior Victoria Police officer

With unprecedented access to the police and the state's chief Judge, the program separates perception from reality.

"I think it's really important that the public be properly informed about what we're doing. It's their right to be properly informed." Chief Judge

Crime and Panic, reported by Sophie McNeill and presented by Sarah Ferguson.

The inside story of the ABC's corporate meltdown.

On Monday, Four Corners investigates the corporate crisis that engulfed the ABC and brought down both the Managing Director and the Chair in the space of one brutal week.

Reporter Sarah Ferguson, in interviews with the two key individuals at the centre of this tumultuous episode, investigates the tensions and allegations that have rocked the national broadcaster - from the appointment of a "change agent" to reinvent the corporation, to the assertion of political interference at the highest levels.

Former MD, Michelle Guthrie speaks for the first time about her sacking and the breakdown of her relationship with the ABC Board. Former Chair Justin Milne gives a frank account of the power struggle behind the scenes.

In the seven weeks since the ABC's corporate meltdown there has been plenty of speculation but little detail about the events that unfolded behind closed doors at the national broadcaster.

Now Four Corners tells the inside story of the crisis that shocked the organisation and left the public confused and concerned.

Bitter End, reported and presented by Sarah Ferguson. (Season Final)