Australian Story, the award-winning documentary series with no narrator and no agendas, returns with more authentic stories told entirely in people’s own words. They’re sometimes high profile, sometimes controversial, but always compelling. It’s television guaranteed to make you think and feel.
Over the next few months, the series tells the incredible stories of a firefighter who fought to expose a toxic chemical in his workplace … and then, without any medical training, came up with a treatment to help his mates; the insurance executive who gambled his redundancy payout on a ‘crazy’ idea to create a music festival in the desert; how a bunch of Byron Bay surfers became one of the most successful heavy metal bands in the world: Parkway Drive ; and more.
Tonight’s episode tells the story of how a giant of the rugby union field, former Wallabies captain David Pocock, has now found himself a pivotal player in Canberra. The newly-minted Independent senator for the ACT holds a crucial vote in the Upper House. Can he maintain his principles?
It’s almost 20 years since Australian Story first spoke to the family of former nurse and childcare worker Lyn Dawson.
The much-loved mother-of-two was living on Sydney’s northern beaches when she vanished in suspicious circumstances 40 years ago.
In May this year her then-husband, Chris Dawson, stood trial for his wife’s murder and last week, amidst a frenzy of media and public interest, Justice Ian Harrison handed down his decision.
Monday, we go behind the scenes with Lyn’s family and friends as they wait for a verdict that gripped the nation.
Airs Monday September 5, 8:00pm, on ABCTV, iview and Youtube.
Tonight’s episode tells the story of how a giant of the rugby union field, former Wallabies captain David Pocock, has now found himself a pivotal player in Canberra. The newly-minted Independent senator for the ACT holds a crucial vote in the Upper House. Can he maintain his principles?
Firefighter Mick Tisbury spent years fighting to uncover an alarming chemical contamination scandal.
Then, with no medical training, he found a way to help fellow firefighters and members of the public who were at risk of severe illness as a result of their unwitting exposure.
The experienced firefighter worked alongside a journalist to reveal the full extent to which carcinogenic chemicals and toxic firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals were misused at a volunteer firefighting training facility in rural Victoria.
Mick went all the way to the to the United Nations Stockholm Convention in Geneva to argue for worldwide bans on PFAS.
And on the way, he has come up with an ingenious solution to help people rid their bodies of these “forever chemicals”.
Greg Donovan was in his early 50s when he was made redundant from the Sydney insurance company he’d worked at for 20 years.
Instead of investing his payout, he took a massive gamble and used it to bankroll a musical passion project in Munga-Thirri country, on the outskirts of the Simpson Desert near Birdsville.
Eight years later, the Big Red Bash has evolved into the world’s most remote music festival, playing host to some of Australia’s most famous musicians.
Promoters and managers around the country were awestruck that someone with no experience in the industry could pull off such an event.
For musician Jimmy Barnes’ manager, John Watson, it’s proof yet again that a “crazy person with a good idea” will always be able to find a place in showbiz.
Featuring music from Jimmy Barnes, Missy Higgins and John Williamson.
Introduced by senior ABC sport reporter Tracey Holmes
When Michael Cheika quit as Wallabies coach following the team’s poor performance at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, many Australian fans were happy to see the back of him. But three years on, he’s never been in greater demand.
As head coach of Argentina’s national rugby side, Cheika recently clocked up wins against Australia and New Zealand, but it’s his other national coaching job that is raising eyebrows. This week, he takes lowly ranked Lebanon to the Rugby League World Cup in Britain.
In a revealing Australian Story, Michael Cheika looks back over an eventful life and often controversial career. He addresses the criticism that was levelled at him in the wake of the 2019 World Cup and explains why he switched codes to honour his Lebanese heritage and why he still feels like an outsider.
How five surfers from Byron Bay, in one of the biggest heavy metal bands in the world, turned to therapy to confront their past, save their career and rebuild their friendship.
In the 1960s Australian band The Seekers took the world by storm when their first three releases went to the top of the UK charts, knocking the Beatles out of the number one spot along the way.
Lead singer Judith Durham was the heartbeat of their unique sound, a blend of harmonising voices that saw them become the first Australian band to score a number one hit in the US with the iconic “Georgy Girl”.
In 2019, all four band members – Judith Durham, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger – spoke for the first time to Australian Story about fame and fallout.
Now, following Judith’s death this year, her bandmates and her sister speak about her enduring musical legacy and personal resilience.
Monday 31 October 8:00 PM Introduced by Radio National’s Geraldine Doogue
Earlier this year a group of Brisbane students lit a political firestorm when they pushed back against their former school over a controversial enrolment contract.
Citipointe Christian College asked parents to agree that homosexuality was a sin and stipulated that students enrol under their birth gender.
The reaction to the story was explosive and the contract was quickly withdrawn.
But the shockwaves were felt in Canberra as politicians took to the floor of parliament to argue over religious freedom laws.
So whose rights should prevail? Australian Story has been talking to both sides in this ongoing debate and to the students caught in the crossfire.
Musician and performer Tim Minchin spent his 30s struggling to break through, supported by his wife Sarah.
When fame finally struck in 2005 he went from playing tiny clubs to huge arenas and the subsequent success of Matilda: The Musical established him as an internationally renowned composer.
When Tim moved to LA, his career looked set to continue its remarkable trajectory but then came a series of setbacks. Returning with his family to live in Australia, Tim Minchin found himself at a crossroads.
In a candid Australian Story, Tim Minchin and wife Sarah reflect on the lessons they’ve learnt and how they dealt with the challenges Tim’s extraordinary fame presented to their relationship.
Airs Monday November 7, 8:00pm, on ABCTV, iview and Youtube.
Introduced by Gary Mehigan, former MasterChef judge
Poh Ling Yeow burst onto screens in the first series of MasterChef Australia in 2009, her energy and daring quickly making her an audience favourite.
Her popularity rested on her resilience and ability to bounce back from disaster. And bouncing back is something she’s done all her life, with her rise to fame anything but conventional.
By the time Poh auditioned for MasterChef at the age of 35, she was a flourishing artist who had left her family’s Mormon religion and survived a painful divorce.
She says her “wild journey” has taught her much about seeing adversity as an opportunity and that she’s “good friends” with uncertainty.
Airs Monday November 14, 8pm, on ABCTV, iview and Youtube.
Introduced by forensic anthropologist Xanthe Mallett
After more than 70 years, one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries – the identity of the “Somerton Man” – is finally solved.
When an unidentified man was found dead on an Adelaide beach in 1948, it was the start of one of Australia’s most baffling cold cases.
Simply known as the Somerton Man, he was found without documents and the labels ripped from his clothes.
With the Cold War as a backdrop, the mystery of his death inspired rumours and theories around the world.
More than seven decades later, DNA technology and forensic genealogy have combined to finally crack the case
In this Australian Story, the Somerton Man’s relatives speak for the first time about how they became involved in the mystery and give the unidentified man a name.
Popular ABC host Leigh Sales returns to your screens in 2023 to join the Australian Story team as its new presenter. For only the second time in the program’s 26-year history, Leigh will follow in the footsteps of the late Caroline Jones as anchor to tell compelling stories about real people that illuminate, entertain and inspire. Australian Story returns in 2023 on February 27.
An ABC NEWS production. Executive Producers: Caitlin Shea and Rebecca Latham.
As the ABC’s 90th year draws to a close, Chair Ita Buttrose reflects on a life in the media spotlight.
Keen to follow her father into journalism, Ita left school at 15 and moved from “copy girl”, to journalist, to magazine editor in quick succession. Her first major success was as founding editor of Cleo Magazine, pushing the editorial boundaries of the time. Still in her thirties, she was editing the countries highest selling magazine, the Australian Women’s Weekly.
She has juggled motherhood, difficult bosses and the highs and lows of a changing industry, whilst also being an outspoken voice for causes she believes in.
Ita Buttrose’s term as ABC Chair finishes in March 2024, and in this Australian Story, she looks back on a career that has equipped her for the role, as she juggles the complexities of one of Australia’s largest cultural institutions.
In the midst of lockdown in 2020, the world was gripped by The Last Dance, a Netflix series about the legendary Chicago Bulls team of the mid to late 1990s.
But what many don’t realise is that there was an Australian basketballer playing right alongside the iconic Michael Jordan.
Luc Longley was the first Australian to play in the NBA. He won three consecutive championships as the team’s starting centre.
Since retiring in 2001, Luc has intentionally kept a low profile but the success of The Last Dance has generated enormous interest in him, particularly given his absence from the series. Now he is ready to tell his story.
This two-part Australian Story features interviews with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson and Steve Kerr.
Journalist Leigh Sales steps into an exciting new role as the presenter of Australian Story when the award-winning program returns to our screens.
Join us as Leigh presents extraordinary stories about real people that illuminate, entertain and inspire.
This season, we go behind the scenes with actor and producer Claudia Karvan, hear changemaker Saul Griffith’s clean energy vision for our homes, and take a deep dive into the incredible story of underwater filmmaker and shark advocate Valerie Taylor.
