From the old thread: 60 Minutes (2015-Feb 2025) Tick, tick, tick…
60 MINUTES SPECIAL REPORT
SUNDAY, MARCH 9, AT 8.45PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
HORROR AT HARRODS
The crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein are well known. The two rich and powerful men inflicted horrendous abuse on young and vulnerable women who had had the misfortune of entering their orbits, both voluntarily and not. Now however a new name can be added to this roll call of despicable abusers. Mohamed Al Fayed. Until now he’s been better known as the father of Dodi, who died alongside Princess Diana in 1997. At the time, Al Fayed senior revelled in baseless conspiracy theories that Dodi and Diana were murdered at the behest of the Royal Family. What wasn’t known back then though was that Al Fayed, the formidable billionaire owner of department store Harrods, was a serial sexual predator. And as Tara Brown reports in a special edition of 60 MINUTES, among the hundreds of women he preyed on there were at least 14 Australians.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Anne Worthington
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THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES
SUNDAY, MARCH 16, AT 8.40PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
BUILDING WORSE
Eight months ago, in a series of award-winning stories, 60 MINUTES, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, exposed endemic corruption and criminality at Australia’s most powerful construction union, the CFMEU. Nick McKenzie’s reports, “Building Bad”, so horrified federal and state governments that immediate action was promised. Police investigations were launched, an administrator was appointed to take over the running over the union, and influential union figures, including bikies who’d wheedled their way into the organisation, were sacked. It looked like the rot was finally over. However, as McKenzie now discovers, that’s far from the case. In fact it’s business as usual for many of thugs associated with the CFMEU as they continue bullying and ripping off anyone who stands in their way.
Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Producers: Amelia Ballinger, Hannah Bowers
WHY I KILLED MY MOTHER
You’re unlikely to encounter anyone sweeter than Gypsy-Rose Blanchard. She really is charming. But she’s also a convicted murderer. With help from a so-called boyfriend she met online, she killed her own mother. The brutal crime – Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard was stabbed 17 times – happened ten years ago, and Gypsy-Rose was imprisoned. But now she’s free. On 60 MINUTES, Amelia Adams meets a controversial young woman very determined to let the world know why she did what she did.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producers: Nichola Younger, Sheree Gibson
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THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES
SUNDAY, MARCH 23, AT 8.40PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
It can’t be understated just how momentous January the 6th 2021 was for American democracy. It was the day rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building. The lead up to this dark moment in history began two months earlier when Donald Trump lost, but claimed he won, the 2020 Presidential election. The lie became Trump’s mantra and the catalyst for the attack on America’s most important institution. One of the instigators of the violence that day in January was Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right, neo-fascist group, the Proud Boys. He ended up being imprisoned for 22 years for seditious conspiracy. One thousand five hundred others were also sent to prison. But remarkably, now they’re all free, beneficiaries of Trump Presidential pardons. And as Amelia Adams reports, armed with their ‘get out of jail’ cards, Tarrio and his Proud Boys are not only empowered, they say they’re invincible.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producer: Garry McNab
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THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES
SUNDAY, MARCH 30, AT 8.45PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
MISMATCH OF THE DAY
According to Rebecca Loos, soccer superstar David Beckham was not only a player on the field, off it he was one as well. Back in 2004, when she was his 26-year-old personal assistant, she publicly admitted they had a torrid affair. At the time, and unusually for such an attacking footballer, Beckham was defensive. He pleaded it was ludicrous to suggest he was unfaithful to his Spice Girl wife, Victoria. The denial infuriated Loos because she felt it implied she had lied. Eventually her anger gave way to resignation, but two years ago a rather vainglorious David Beckham obliquely referenced the liaison in a Netflix documentary. As Rebecca tells Dimity Clancey, his comments were an own goal that has given her a free kick to strike back.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producer: Sammi Taylor
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TRAGEDY IN TAMWORTH
The pain is unbearable and the frustration immense. Baylen Pendergast’s father, Luke, can’t fathom how 11 years on from his toddler son’s mysterious death, no one has been held responsible. There have been no arrests and no charges laid. That’s despite overwhelming medical evidence suggesting the 21-month-old boy suffered horrific, non-accidental injuries. It’s a tragedy that has stunned the country New South Wales community of Tamworth where Baylen lived. On 60 MINUTES, Adam Hegarty investigates why, after more than a decade, there are still no answers for his dad.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producers: Laura Sparkes, Toni Ambrogetti
OOPS
It’s easy to understand why actress Madeleine West is so committed to protecting children, and not just because she’s a mother of six. As 60 MINUTES reported last year, when she was a young girl Madeleine was the victim of a serial paedophile. For 40 years she kept the abuse secret, but then, in the performance of her life, she helped police collect the evidence they needed to charge the perpetrator. Peter Vincent White was subsequently imprisoned for 15 years for crimes against seven children. Now there is a new chapter for Madeleine West. She has a remarkable and wonderful surprise she wants to share – one that started with oops.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Nichola Younger
Madeleine West also happens to feature on the cover of Stellar liftout in News Corp papers this Sunday, showing her bump - the “remarkable and wonderful surprise she wants to share”.
UPDATE 30/3: Stellar’s interview with Madeleine
Tracy Grimshaw will file a story next week, with an interview with John Singleton, according to promo that just aired.
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THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, AT 8.50PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
Australians know John Singleton as a no-nonsense, super-successful business titan, always confident and in control. But on 60 MINUTES this week, a very different John Singleton. Not the businessman but a broken father consumed with despair over the death of his beautiful daughter Dawn. A year ago, almost to the day, Dawn and five others were stabbed to death at the Westfield Bondi shopping centre. The perpetrator was 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, a mentally ill man who, somehow, had fallen through the cracks of the health system. Now a coronial inquest is set to examine what happened and why. But in an exclusive television interview with Nine’s Tracy Grimshaw, John says enough is enough. He doesn’t believe the inquest will achieve anything, and the prospect of reliving the day he lost his daughter fills him with horror.
Reporter: Tracy Grimshaw
Producer: Garry McNab
THE FIRST BUDDY
By announcing aggressive tariffs on goods coming into America, President Donald Trump has lost a lot of friends around the world. Not that he probably cares. And anyway, he has the world’s richest man, his so-called “first buddy”, for company if he gets lonely. As chief of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk has proven to be a very loyal functionary, and one who’s more than happy to do his boss’s dirty work. In a few short months in the role, Musk has overseen the decimation of the American bureaucracy, as well as the sacking of tens of thousands of federal workers, all in the name of eliminating waste and fraud. But as Amelia Adams reports, Musk too is paying a hefty price for his vigour.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producers: Garry McNab, Nichola Younger
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60 MINUTES SPECIAL TIME:7.00PM SUNDAY
APRIL 13 AT 7.00PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
PRIVATE SHAME
Australia has one of the best health care systems in the world. If anyone gets sick or injured and needs emergency care, they expect to be in safe hands at most hospitals. But that certainly has not been the situation for some patients who ended up at facilities run by Healthscope. It’s a private company that operates 38 hospitals and emergency departments around the country, but has a growing list of shameful failings that have led to needless patient deaths. One recent case was the tragedy of two-year-old Joe Massa who died after waiting hours for care at the emergency department of Northern Beaches Hospital in Sydney. On assignment for 60 MINUTES, Nine’s Christine Ahern reveals another equally terrible case of a patient receiving inexcusable medical treatment. And like Joe Massa, Melbourne teenager James Tsindos would probably be alive today if he hadn’t put his trust in Healthscope.
Reporter: Christine Ahern
Producer: Natalie Clancy
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WHEN STARS COLLIDE
Workplace feuds are not uncommon but they rarely receive worldwide attention. However, when the clashing parties are two high-profile Hollywood celebrities, headlines are guaranteed. The dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni centres on what did, or didn’t, happen on the set of the feature film It Ends With Us, and it has well and truly turned the supposed on-screen lovers into off-screen haters. In fact, as Adam Hegarty reports, the claims and counter claims being thrown around are now so serious the lawyers have been called in, and multiple court cases are being prepared.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Sammi Taylor
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60 MINUTES SPECIAL TIME:
7.00PM SUNDAY
APRIL 20 AT 7.00PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
BARBIE’S DIRTY SECRETS
Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, but everyone knows her simply as Barbie, the world’s most iconic fashion doll. She’s been around since 1959 and just gets better with age. In fact, the last few years have been Barbie’s best ever. A blockbuster movie and a makeover by toy manufacturer Mattel has not only turned her into a lauded 21st century feminist, it has transformed her into a multi-billion-dollar brand. However, it has now emerged that there’s a dark side to Barbie’s glittering success. In this hidden camera investigation, award-winning reporter Isobel Yeung from Britain’s Channel 4 exposes what really goes on in Mattel’s Chinese factories where the famous doll is produced.
Reporter: Isobel Yeung
Producer: Alasdair Glennie
Pope special in the works you’d assume?
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THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, AT 8.10PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
THE SHALLOWS
For a lot of Australians the best way to cool down after a busy week is a dip at the beach. It was certainly Mani Zhang’s thinking one Friday afternoon last month. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny, but as Mani swam in the shallows, just a few metres off shore, out of nowhere a massive bull shark attacked her. Her leg was mauled so savagely, and there was so much blood loss, that she should have died. But as Dimity Clancey discovers, a remarkable will to live, as well as the unbelievable bravery of a passer-by, means Mani is now one very thankful survivor.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producers: Nichola Younger, Sheree Gibson
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DEATH OF A LEGEND
In Hollywood, Gene Hackman was a titan. A truly great actor, he captivated audiences, starring in 80 movies and winning two Oscars. But Gene was also smart enough to know when to call time on his career. Twenty years ago, battling health issues, he and his wife Betsy moved to New Mexico for a more private and peaceful life. In typical Hackman style he faded from view with little fanfare. That is until two months ago when he and Betsy were found dead inside their home under mysterious circumstances. Speaking with some of the couple’s closest friends, Tara Brown reports that the tragedy of what happened, along with the final weeks of Gene’s life, is wrenching. Even though he could never know it, it’s also one of the most important stories Gene Hackman was ever involved in.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Serge Negus, Sheree Gibson
THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES
SUNDAY, MAY 4, AT 8.10PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME
Look at any photo of Audrey Griffin and you see a beautiful, smart young woman. The 19-year-old navy recruit had plenty of friends and plenty of life ahead of her. Until the unthinkable. Six weeks ago, in a crime that has outraged Australia, she was murdered as she walked to a friend’s place after a night out. Audrey didn’t know her attacker, she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The killer, Adrian Torrens, was a violent man who opportunistically decided to cause maximum harm. On 60 MINUTES, Torrens’ wife, Michelle, gives a chilling insight into this evil man, and tells Dimity Clancey why this crime should never have happened.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producers: Natalie Clancy, Sheree Gibson, Toni Ambrogetti
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LOVE BYTES
It’s hard to know whether to be excited or frightened. Maybe a bit of both. Artificial intelligence, already changing human behaviour in so many ways, is now trying to charm its way into our love lives. And, as strange as it might sound, it’s succeeding. Millions of people around the world are ditching the traditional concept of boyfriends, girlfriends, even husbands and wives, and hooking up instead with AI companions. As Adam Hegarty reports, while computer chatbots can be very kind and charismatic, people also need to be warned: Just like in the real world, AI relationships can – and sometimes do – end in disaster.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Sammi Taylor
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THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES
SUNDAY, MAY 11, AT 8.10PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
LABOR OF LOVE
There’s a very good reason why the House of Representatives in Canberra is about to become a better place. Ali France. She won for the Labor Party the Queensland seat of Dickson, previously held for 24 years by the now former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. That alone means she’s history-making, but it’s not what makes her truly remarkable. In a freak car accident 14 years ago, she almost died trying to save the life of one of her sons. Then, early last year, she lost her other son after he succumbed to cancer. For many people there would be no coming back from tragedy like this. But as Tara Brown discovers, Ali France is not one of them. She’s inspired by the love of her boys to be the best member of parliament she can be.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Laura Sparkes
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TRADE WARS
A long time ago, 21 years to be exact, in a capital far, far away, Washington DC, Australia and the United States signed an historic free trade agreement. At the time it was a new hope for shared prosperity. Everyone was pleased, especially the Americans who, truth be told, probably got the better end of the deal. But now that pact seemingly counts for nothing. Donald Trump says he’s sick of America being ripped off by other nations, including Australia, and has decreed his empire will strike back. Negotiating with the undeniable force of the U.S. President won’t be easy for Australia’s re-elected prime minister, Anthony Albanese. However, as Dimity Clancey reports, it’s a mission he has no option but to get right.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producers: Garry McNab, Toni Ambrogetti
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VIRGINIA’S FIGHT
Sex abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre first appeared on 60 MINUTES six years ago. Back then she was in combat mode, determined to bring to account the notorious trio of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew. Tragically though, her brave crusade for justice and an end to human sex trafficking took a heavy toll, and two weeks ago, haunted by physical and emotional scars, she died at her home north of Perth, aged 41. As Tara Brown reports, those closest to Virginia will always be awed by her strength and the hope she gave to so many.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Sammi Taylor
According to The Australian’s Media Diary, this Sunday (May 18) the show will feature a report by Amelia Adams on the dangers of internet dating.
A year after winning a coveted job on Nine’s 60 Minutes Adam Hegarty has relocated to Melbourne from Sydney.
The move has raised questions about Hegarty’s future with the program, which is based in Sydney.
According to network sources Hegarty recently broke up with his girlfriend. Hegarty was dating fellow Nine staffer Amber Johnston in 2024 and into the early months of 2025.
THIS WEEK ON 60 MINUTES
SUNDAY, MAY 18, AT 8.30PM ON CHANNEL 9 & 9NOW
DATE WITH DISASTER
It used to be relatively easy. When love was in the air, those lucky enough to be touched by it simply got on with working out its wonder. Now though, love is just as likely to be searched for on a computer or smart phone, and while there are many, many success stories, this is not one of them. That’s because online match-making has been well and truly hijacked by evil. Internet dating has led to an unprecedented rise in sexual violence. As Amelia Adams reports, it’s a wave of crime so extensive and so serious that experts are likening it to a second global pandemic.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producer: Sandra Odorisio
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DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME
Mischievous doesn’t begin to describe identical twins Danny and Michael Philippou when they were growing up. Too full of naughty energy, they made their parents’ lives hell with their silly – and often dangerous – pranks. As they got older, the little ratbags turned into bigger ratbags. And guess what? They figured out there were rewards to be had with tomfoolery. Big rewards. First it was going viral and entertaining millions of subscribers on YouTube. Now it’s making it even bigger in Hollywood. The brothers are just about to release their second feature film, and like everything else they do, this one comes with a warning. Don’t try this at home!
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producers: Sandra Odorisio, Anne Worthington
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EVIL SPIRIT
When, last November, 19-year-old best friends from Melbourne, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, died in Laos after consuming drinks laced with methanol, Australians were shocked. For the girls’ families, six months on the heartbreak continues, as does the anger they feel towards Lao officials who still haven’t directly contacted them to explain what happened and why. But on 60 MINUTES, Tara Brown reveals now, finally, there may be a significant development in the investigation.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Sheree Gibson