60 Minutes (2015-Feb 2025)

THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, AT 8.40PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW

IRRECONCILABLE
Natalie Sands lives with immeasurable torment. Early one morning four years ago, a crazed man killed her mother and her five-year-old son. Natalie, too, almost died after the attacker set her on fire. She suffered horrific burns, the scars of which will never disappear. While the physical trauma she has endured is one thing, the mental anguish is even more agonising. On assignment for 60 MINUTES, Nine’s Dimity Clancey reports how Natalie’s pain is compounded by two details she finds impossible to reconcile: The perpetrator of the crime has escaped trial due to mental illness. And even worse, he’s her father.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producer: Garry McNab

THE BATTLE OF BRITNEY
For anyone wanting a crash course in the pitfalls of celebrity, Britney Spears’ recently released tell-all memoir, The Woman In Me, is a must-read. It’s a confronting account of a tortured pop superstar. Looking back, the young woman once known as “America’s Sweetheart” says she was hounded, exploited and humiliated by almost everyone she came into contact with, including her family, friends and lovers. It’s hoped that by revealing the darker side of her life’s battle, Britney feels a sense of liberation, and even more importantly, now has a chance to hit the reset button on her many years of turbulence.
Reporter: Tom Steinfort
Producer: Naomi Shivaraman

RARE OPPORTUNITY
At a secretive location a few hundred kilometres north of Perth, there’s a stockpile of what looks like ordinary beach sand. At first glance it’s undeserving of a second look. Except it’s not sand. It’s actually a mountain of money; a stash of in-demand heavy metal minerals that’s worth more than a billion dollars. Australia has an abundance of these so-called “rare earth” minerals but until very recently we didn’t care. China, though, has long known how valuable this resource is and has been buying it up and processing it to make defence weaponry. And as Nine’s Christine Ahern reports, that has a lot of people very worried.
Reporter: Christine Ahern
Producer: Laura Sparkes

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THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, AFTER THE BLOCK FINALE, ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW

TOO MUCH TO LOSE
Much has been written about the drug Ozempic lately. Originally developed to help in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, the product’s popularity exploded when it was discovered that a side effect for users was dramatic weight loss. From that point, perhaps not surprisingly, anyone, diabetic or not, looking to quickly lose a few kilos or more joined the race to get hold of Ozempic. And when Hollywood’s most glamorous stars started showing off their slimmed-down selves, the drug gained even more buzz. But now, as Nine’s Dimity Clancey reports in a special investigation for 60 MINUTES, experts are warning there could be another side effect from the often-unsupervised use of Ozempic: death.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producer: Serge Negus

DEVIL IN DISGUISE?
When Elvis Presley first took to the stage in the mid-1950s, his wild hip thrusting and sultry voice gave conservative America a heart attack. But his young fans, particularly his young female fans, couldn’t get enough of the soon-to-be King of rock ’n’ roll. Many of those devotees are now distinguished elders, and while they continue to adore Elvis, they’re also revealing some long-held secrets. Amelia Adams discovers the King actually dated quite a few of them when they were young teenagers. And for those with suspicious minds, it raises questions about whether Elvis Presley’s obsession with 14-year-olds means he was really a devil in disguise.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producer: Laura Sparkes

THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, AT 7.00PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW

UNLUCKY 13TH
Australians with a mortgage copped another crippling cost of living hit on Tuesday when the Reserve Bank raised the official cash rate to 4.35%. It’s the 13th interest rate rise in the last 18 months and means many people will now have to become magicians and conjure up money they don’t have if they’re to avoid defaulting on their home loans. Cruelly, the rate rise came in the same week as two of the four major banks announced enormous profits. Westpac and NAB made more than seven billion dollars each. As Tom Steinfort reports, the current state of Australia’s economy raises many questions, but perhaps the most important is how much more pain can mortgage holders endure?
Reporter: Tom Steinfort
Producers: Garry McNab, Sheree Gibson

EVERYONE’S FRIEND
From almost the very first episode, the Hollywood sitcom Friends was destined to be a hit. Its brilliance came from its simplicity. Each episode was beautifully crafted and lovingly performed by a charming cast. For ten seasons the friends on the show made us laugh so much we felt like they were our friends. It’s the reason why, in the two weeks since actor Matthew Perry died, so many tears have been shed around the world. One person who knew Matthew better than most is award-winning television director James Burrows. He worked on the very first episodes of Friends, forging a fatherly bond with the entire cast. In an emotional interview with Karl Stefanovic, James remembers the best of times with his great friend Matthew.
Reporter: Karl Stefanovic
Producers: Laura Sparkes, Sheree Gibson

OMG!
There’s no doubt Georgia Flipo is a great name, but G Flip is even better. It has a distinct rock star ring to it which the 30-year-old Australian singer and drummer matches with great talent. It’s little surprise the world is now taking notice, but the road to stardom hasn’t been straightforward for G Flip. Growing up in the Melbourne suburbs, G was confused about life and for years hid an important truth. Now though, openly and proudly queer and non-binary, a burden has lifted. And as Nine’s Sylvia Jeffreys finds out, that means G can concentrate on their music as well as their recent marriage to American TV star Chrishell Stause.
Reporter: Sylvia Jeffreys
Producer: Hannah Bowers

THIS IS YOUR LIZ
Liz Hayes is one of Australia’s most well-known and revered journalists. Over an incredible 50-year career, she has perfected the art of exposing, questioning and celebrating thousands of other people’s stories. Now she has taken on what could be her most difficult assignment. She’s telling her own story. Liz has written a memoir, which Tara Brown discovers is a surprisingly candid portrait of the usually private and rather enigmatic reporter.

Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Natalie Clancy

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Interesting that G Flip features in two extended interviews within one week: Take 5 on the ABC on Tuesday then 60 Minutes on Sunday.

Good PR team?

Four stories is one too many for what’s meant to be a one hour program. Less is definitely more when it comes to a current affairs program.

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THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, AT 7.00PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW

SCHOOL’S OUT
There’s a complex and confounding issue affecting an increasing number of Australian school students. They are pupils who want to learn but are refusing to go into the classroom. The reason? They feel physically unable to attend school because they are so overwhelmed by anxiety. It has nothing to do with wagging, and as Nine’s Sylvia Jeffreys reports, it’s not a case of them simply needing to toughen up. The reality is the phenomenon of school refusal is a problem that has many teachers and parents very worried.
Reporter: Sylvia Jeffreys
Producers: Sammi Taylor, Lisa Brown

EVERY SIX MINUTES
The facts are frightening. More than half the population of Australia has now been impacted by cyber-crime. The cost to the country is at least thirty billion dollars a year, and despite all the warnings, every six minutes there’s a new report of someone becoming a victim to an online attack. It’s now time to face the truth that the war against cyber criminals can’t be won. But as Amelia Adams reports, that doesn’t mean Australia is surrendering. Far from it.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producers: Amelia Ballinger, Anthony Dowsley

RUSSIAN ROULETTE
The conflict raging in the Middle East has distracted much of the world’s attention from the ongoing war in Ukraine, where sadly the fighting goes on as fiercely and deadly as ever. A drawn-out campaign, however, is not what Russian President Vladimir Putin expected when he launched his illegal invasion early last year. The failure of the dictator’s war effort and his stubborn insistence to continue the fight is causing increased unrest in Russia. As Tom Steinfort reports, it has also led to strange things happening to Putin’s opponents. Many have been dying in highly suspicious circumstances. Mysterious accidents, unexplained suicides, even plain old-fashioned murders have seriously reduced the ranks of Putin’s foes.
Reporter: Tom Steinfort
Producer: Sheree Gibson

THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 AT 7.00PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW

BREAKING COVER
Being a police officer can often be dangerous, but within the Australian Federal Police there’s a special division of cops whose role is so constantly treacherous that every day is a matter of life and death. They’re undercover operatives who work at the very front line of crime-fighting in Australia and internationally. The protection of these officers should be a priority, but remarkably, when the AFP conducted a high-level inquiry into its own undercover program, it found major failings that risked compromising operations and lives.

In a major investigation by 60 MINUTES, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Nick McKenzie reports that police insiders are now so worried about the safety of their brave colleagues they’re breaking cover in the hope of achieving long-term accountability and reform.

Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Producers: Amelia Ballinger, Hannah Bowers, Serge Negus

FIRST AID
Over the past 15 years Australia has given the Solomon Islands more than three billion dollars in aid – far more than any other country has given. Without doubt the help is much needed, but whether it’s appreciated is another matter. It seems the Solomon Islands government is much more grateful for the far less aid it receives from China.

In a special report for 60 MINUTES, Eryk Bagshaw, North Asia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, travels to the Solomons to investigate the very determined battle between east and west to win hearts and minds in this strategically important Pacific nation.

Reporter: Eryk Bagshaw
Producer: Natalie Clancy

SOLE DESTROYING
When someone goes to a doctor or a surgeon for treatment, the expectation is they will be seen by a professional with a properly accredited medical qualification, right? Well, it’s hard to believe, but that’s not always the case. In Australia there’s a group of practitioners performing complicated operations who don’t have medical degrees.

They quite lawfully call themselves podiatric surgeons and they say they have their own special credentials which enable them to treat foot and ankle problems. But in this joint investigation with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Amelia Adams meets patients who have been left in chronic pain and with life-long scars, after surgeries they wish they had never agreed to.

Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producers: Serge Negus, Charlotte Grieve

THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 AT 8.00 PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW

Survivors of the Sea World helicopter tragedy describe the horror of the mid-air collision; Plus, out with the new in with the old, how to make ageing cool.

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Channel 9 set to announce two new reporters joining 60 Minutes early in the new year. Will be interesting to see who gets selected. Perhaps Dimity Clancey could be one?? She has already done a couple of stories for the show.

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Charles Croucher and Brett McLeod a couple of other options

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Sylvia’s done a fair few stories over the last 12 months too without clarification of her role.

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Deb Knight?

Pretty sure she said when she left 2GB that she would have an announcement on a TV project in the new year (or words to that effect).

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Knight is hosting the Money News program for 9radio in 2024

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Now this is a surprising development…

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Big surprise - but I’m happy with the choice tbh.

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yes he is not someone I would have normally thought of for a role like this, but now that his name has been suggested, I kinda like the idea!

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I wonder if he will alter his weird reporting style voice for 60?

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Interesting pick but not good for Melbourne who will now lose yet another reporter

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Weird choice. Based on what I’ve seen of his reporting style he’d be more suited to ACA.

‘Unique storytelling’ is certainly an understatement.

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