The Fight of His Life
Monday 20 May at 8.30pm
âThis is the fight of my life, and I think Iâm up for it.â Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott has been many things; a Rhodes scholar, an MP, a brutally effective Opposition leader and a triumphant Prime Minister, only to be deposed by his colleagues. He is seen as one of the most combative figures in politics and a warrior for conservative voices.
Now, after 25 years in federal parliament, the Liberal MP for Warringah says he is in the fight of his political life.
âI think that Tony Abbottâs time in politics has come, and gone.â Peter Fitzsimons, columnist
âI think itâs all just to oust Tony Abbott and I just think itâs nasty.â Warringah voter
Ahead of Saturdayâs vote, Four Corners has been documenting the unfolding campaign. On Monday the program will examine how the seat was won and lost and what that means for the future of the Liberal Party.
âIt is a very seminal moment in the history of the Liberal Party.â Alan Jones, broadcaster
The program examines how an insurgency from within the seat of Warringah began and shows the forces that have shaped it.
Mr Abbottâs challenger is the independent candidate, Zali Steggall, who has sought to turn the vote into a virtual referendum on climate change, transforming the issue thatâs made him a hero of the right, into potential political poison on home soil.
âIâm their worst nightmare.â Zali Steggall, independent candidate
The contest has also been defined by the involvement of powerful political activist organisations like GetUp and Advance Australia, leading many political watchers to say we are now operating in a new realm of politics.
âThe more effective we are the more theyâll fight back.â Paul Oosting, GetUp
âGetUp are⌠the most powerful political organisation outside the union movement.â Gerard Benedet, Advance Australia
The result will have powerful ramifications far beyond the seat of Warringah, with many believing the result will determine the future of the Liberal Party.
The fight of his life, reported by Sean Nicholls, goes to air on Monday 20th May at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 21st May at 1.00pm and Wednesday 22nd at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
Well, Tony Abbott lost his seat to Zali Steggall at last nightâs federal election count. I think the episode will include Abbottâs concession speech.
More than that. Retitled as âAbbottâs Endâ. Cue the dick jokes. 
Notre-Dame in Flames
Monday 27 May at 8.30pm
The dramatic story of how the world famous Cathedral, and its treasures, were saved.
âWe saw Notre-Dame burning⌠I understood that it was going to be a huge task.â Director of Operations, French Civil Protection
On the 15th of April, the world watched on in horror as one of Franceâs most famous landmarks, Notre-Dame Cathedral caught alight.
âItâs the kind of situation where you think youâre in a nightmare. I think, like everyone else, I was watching open mouthed.â Heritage architect
The Cathedral had stood for more than 800 years, through revolutions and world wars, but as the flames took hold, the architectural icon was in peril.
âWe were the first to arrive on the scene and our mission was to climb up the spiral staircases which are very narrow.â Paris fire brigade chief
What took place over the next nine hours was an epic battle by some 400 firefighters to save the building. In this dramatic film, those leading the operation explain how events unfolded.
âWe heard this enormous noise and we couldnât see anything around us⌠everything was completely alight⌠It was the spire that had collapsed, not far from us.â Paris fire brigade chief
Through interviews and video filmed by the fire authorities and eyewitnesses, the film captures the drama minute by minute.
âIt was a matter of not causing more damage. Water tankers are not made to dump water on a building like this.â Director of Operations, French Civil Protection
It wasnât just the building that was a concern. The Cathedral housed priceless pieces of art and religious relics. Conservators raced to the scene to oversee a massive operation to save these precious pieces.
âThe two of us climbed an altar, unhooked the painting and it was the first artwork we took out.â Paris fire brigade chaplain
As investigations into the cause of the fire continue, those who have dedicated their life to Notre-Dame are grateful that in spite of the damage, the building remains.
âThis morning I was asked âDo you believe in miracles?â I said âI believe in fire fighters.ââ Notre- Dame priest
Notre-Dame in Flames, a Metropole Television film, goes to air on Monday 27th May at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 28th May at 1.00pm and Wednesday 29th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm EST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
Promo for next weekâs episode, marking the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, China.
Tremble and Obey
Monday 3 June at 8.30pm
How the Chinese Communist Party crushed democracy.
âTanks are rolling in down the main thoroughfare towards Tiananmen Square. Thereâs sporadic shooting.â ABC reporter Max Uechtritz, 1989.
Thirty years ago, in the centre of Chinaâs communist capital, millions of students and citizens staged weeks of protests calling for democracy.
âMillions of Chinese for the first time⌠tasted freedom in the air of Beijing.â No 5 on the âmost wantedâ list of student activists, 1989.
The students and their fellow protestors stared down their government in the full gaze of the worldâs media, demanding an end to totalitarian rule.
âThe cost to the people has been silent obedience to the party line. The frustration born of so many years of silence is now pouring out into streets of Beijing.â ABC Beijing correspondent, Trevor Watson, 1989.
Then, the Peopleâs Liberation Army turned its guns, and its tanks, on its own people.
âWe got orders from the authorities saying, âevery troop has to go to Tiananmen Squareâ.â Former PLA soldier.
Three decades on, Four Corners vividly brings the story of these momentous times to life, drawing upon a trove of vision and audio captured by ABC reporters and crews in that astonishing spring of 1989. This incredible archive stored away by the ABC for 30 years has now been carefully pieced together to show how the shocking events unfolded.
âThere was a man holding shopping bags, standing in front of the tank, the lead tankâŚ(it) became one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, of all time.â ABC reporter Max Uechtritz, 1989.
Four Corners has interviewed many of the key participants who led the protests and were subsequently placed on Chinaâs âmost wantedâ list.
âI was quite naive because we didnât know the true face of the Communist Party. We never realised that this Party would do anything to defend their power.â No 1 on Chinaâs âmost wantedâ student activist list. 1989.
While many will be marking the anniversary around the world, the events of Tiananmen Square remain one of the most sensitive and taboo topics in China.
âIn 1989 we were so young, and we experienced such a violent killing⌠itâs literally the killing of your peers, of your generation. But we were not allowed to openly shed a tear or light a candle for the dead. And we carried this wound, this open wound, up to today, 30 years later. And we still are not allowed to openly talk about it.â 1989 protestor, current Harvard academic.
Those same student leaders say the events in Tiananmen Square continue to shape China today.
âItâs very important for the whole world to pay attention to what happened 30 years ago. Todayâs China comes from 1989. If you really want to deal with todayâs China, you have to understand where this China come from, and it come from 1989.â No 1 on Chinaâs most wanted list, 1989.
Tremble and Obey, produced by Lesley Robinson, goes to air on Monday June 3rd at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 4th June at 1.00pm and Wednesday 5th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
Time Bomb
Monday 10 June at 8.30pm
The making of the Bourke Street murderer.
âWe were driving around and he asked me, âwould you ever kill someone?ââ School friend
James Gargasoulas was a 26-year-old heavy drug user with an extensive criminal record when he drove a car at high speed through central Melbourne killing six people, including a baby boy and a 10-year-old girl.
âHe simply looked like he was just going for his Sunday drive on the road, but he was on a pavement, mowing down pedestrians, with no facial expression.â Witness
He was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for the January 2017 attack. Despite a guilty verdict there are still outstanding questions about why James Gargasoulas was able to carry out such a crime.
âI just donât understand why they couldnât stop him. I just donât understand why he couldnât be pulled off the streets.â Witness
On Monday, Four Corners investigates how James Gargasoulas was out roaming the suburbs of Melbourne despite facing serious criminal charges and clear warning signs that he presented a grave danger to others.
âHe said weâd see him on the news that night.â Witness
In his first media interview, Gargasoulasâ brother Angelo recounts his brotherâs extreme violence over many years, beginning with their deeply troubled childhood in outback Coober Pedy. Angelo was both a witness and a victim of his brotherâs brutality even in the days and hours before the Bourke St attack.
âI was like, âyou have to find this guyâŚThereâs so much to lock him up away (for)â.â Brother
Much of the evidence against Gargasoulas has not been seen by the public before. In this painstaking investigation, months in the making, Four Corners reveals troubling failures to catch and hold Gargasoulas.
â(The police) will question everything in their mind. They will wake up at night and say, âcould I have, should I have, how could I have done things differently?ââ Retired Police Commissioner
For those still coming to terms with Gargasoulasâ actions, they wonder if the lessons of his case have been learned.
âSystemic failure is an understatement.â Brother
Time Bomb, reported by Louise Milligan, goes to air on Monday 10th June at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 11th June at 1.00pm and Wednesday 12th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
Trumpâs Trade War
Monday 17 June at 8.30pm
âWe canât continue to allow China to rape our country, and thatâs what theyâre doing. Itâs the greatest theft in the history of the world.â US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has ignited a massive trade war with China, slapping billions of dollars worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. In doing so, he says heâs delivering on his promise to Make America Great Again.
âThis is a great power struggle.â Steve Bannon, former Trump chief strategist
Despite the rhetoric, questions are being asked about who has the most to lose from the conflict.
âWe will have another type of cold war that nobody has ever experienced. . . Thatâs dangerous.â Da Wei, University of International Relations, Beijing
On Monday Four Corners examines the forces behind the conflict, on both sides.
âTheyâve outsmarted us; theyâve done some things we donât agree with. Weâve got to fix our system to compete with China.â James Mcgregor, Former Chair, American Chamber of Commerce in China
US businesses are bearing much of the cost, particularly companies who rely on importing raw materials from China.
âSeveral million dollars of profit lost. In a year. . . If what weâre trying to do is protect the American economy, this is a bad way to do it.â US manufacturer
China is also feeling the impact of the increased tariffs but many believe there is a bigger issue in play.
âThe question is, is Americaâs complaint about the way China handles its economy, or is it about Chinaâs legitimacy to become a prosperous and powerful country?â Da Wei, University of International Relations, Beijing
Featuring key players who have served in the Trump administration, the program analyses the forces at work with the US government and what they believe is at stake.
âI believe you need - you need actually a change of the top leaders in the Chinese Communist Party. I think the goa . . . is to break the back of this totalitarian mercantilist economic society.â Steve Bannon, former Trump chief strategist
Trumpâs Trade War, from Frontline, goes to air on Monday 17th June at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 18th March at 1.00pm and Wednesday 19th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
Extinction Nation
Monday 24 June at 8:30pm
The fight to save Australiaâs endangered species.
âItâs about as bad as it can get, without them literally all being dead.â Bird ecologist
Australia boasts a stunning array of unique wildlife. They feature on our coat of arms and theyâre placed front and centre in our tourism campaigns. But the reality is, many of our native animals are in danger.
âItâs embarrassing being involved with wildlife, to be an Australian, to have this record of extinction.â Conservation sanctuary owner
Australia has one of the worst extinction rates on the planet and the problem is growing. There are currently more than 500 animal species under threat.
âIf we canât bring ourselves to careâŚthen what about the next thing, and what about the next thing after that? Whereâs the end point of that attitude?â Conservation ecologist
On Monday Four Corners investigates how Australia has found itself in the midst of an extinction crisis.
âOur system for protecting threatened species in this country is fundamentally broken.â Conservation activist
There is heated debate over who is responsible and what lengths governments should go to, to save these threatened species.
âItâs not about waving a chequebook at the levels of threatened species. Itâs about sensible funding, which we do.â Environment Minister
Four Corners goes into the field with leading scientists and conservation volunteers to document first hand the fight to save these wild creatures. Our camera captures precious pictures of some of these endangered animals.
âIt is rare to see them at all but to have posing like that for us was a giftâŚjust wonderful.â Volunteer conservationist
With money in short supply, many rescue efforts are reliant on volunteers and crowd funding,
âIf volunteers like us werenât doing it, it just wouldnât be done and the animals would be going extinct.â Volunteer conservationist
Ecologists say these species are just as priceless as a work of art and should be protected in the same way.
âYou wouldnât go burn the Mona Lisa because you could. Youâd put it somewhere and keep it safe.â Bird ecologist
They warn that species extinction will have consequences for us all.
âWe are an interconnected ecosystem. Itâs going to actually start having knock on effects to us as well and our society and in a whole range of ways.â Conservation activist
Extinction Nation, reported by Stephanie March, goes to air on Monday 24th June at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 25th June at 1.00pm and Wednesday 26th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
Shadow Commander
Monday 1 July at 8:30pm
Iranâs military mastermind.
âAny attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration.â US President Donald Trump
In increasingly alarming scenes, the United States and Iran are facing off in the Middle East. Tensions have been escalating steadily for the last two months, driven by concerns over the Islamic Republicâs nuclear capabilities. In the past two weeks, these tensions have ratcheted up even further with unprovoked attacks on oil tankers and the shooting down of a US military drone and imposition of US sanctions. There are concerns that the two nations are headed towards military conflict.
âI am your match⌠Youâre making a big mistake. You know how powerful we are in the region. You will start this war but we will determine its end.â Major General Qassem Suleimani
The key figure in Iranâs strategic manoeuvring, and one of the most powerful military figures in the Middle East, is a shadowy figure in Iranâs feared Revolutionary Guard.
âWe can see him as the, the Darth Vader of contemporary Middle Eastern politics.â Former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker
âWe saw Qassem Suleimani as a very capable, charismatic, skilled, professional competent, diabolically evil human being.â General (Ret) David Petraeus, US Forces Commander & former CIA Director
In this timely program from the BBC, a portrait of Iranâs military ambitions, and the man masterminding them emerges.
âHe started to become a commander, also sort of a spy, but he seemed to have more power than any kind of person on our side ever had.â General (Ret) Stanley McChrystal, US Special Operations, Iraq 2003 - 2006
Featuring interviews with key American and British defence and intelligence figures who have gone toe to toe with Iran for decades, the program outlines how Major General Suleimaniâs Iranian forces have repeatedly intervened in key conflicts like the Iraq war.
âIt was a constant arms race. Their bombs got bigger, our protection got bigger.â Major General (Retd) Jonathan Shaw, British Forces, Southern Iraq 2007
The program charts the conflicts between the US and Iran and the missed opportunities to put their hostilities aside.
âWe all realised this development opened up a moment in which the United States and Iran could cooperate effectively. We both had the same enemies⌠(The) axis of evil (speech) slammed that door shut and it has not since reopened.â Former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker
As fears grow of an armed confrontation, veteran Iran watchers urge caution.
âWe can play his game, we can fight him, but I think if we want peace in the Middle East and the region, weâve got to understand where heâs coming from and what he wants, unless you want to be in a perpetual conflict with Iran.â Major General (Retd) Jonathan Shaw, British Forces, Southern Iraq 2007
Shadow Commander: Iranâs military mastermind, from the BBC, goes to air on Monday 1st July at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 2nd July at 1.00pm and Wednesday 3rd at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
Cash Splash
Monday 8 July at 8:30pm
Taxpayer dollars, secretive deals and the lucrative business of water.
âItâs a national scandal.â Water economist
Two years on from the Four Corners investigation into water theft in the Murray-Darling Basin that sparked a royal commission, the program returns to the river system to investigate new concerns about how the plan to rescue it is being carried out.
âHow extravagant is this scheme?.. Iâd just call it a rort.â Lawyer
On Monday Four Corners investigates whether the contentious plan has become a colossal waste of taxpayersâ money.
âThe Murray-Darling Basin Plan is a triple bottom line fail. Itâs a fail for communities, itâs a fail for the economy and itâs absolutely a fail for the environment.â Business owner
The river system is the lifeblood of Australian agriculture but right now itâs in crisis. Itâs experiencing one of the worst droughts on record, and with mass fish deaths capturing the headlines and farmers struggling to survive, many are saying the scheme is failing to deliver.
âI would characterise it as pink batts for farmers, or pink batts for earth movers. It all had to happen in a short space of time.â Contractor
Billions of taxpayersâ dollars are being poured into grants handed to irrigators in an attempt to save more water. Four Corners investigates exactly how the money is being spent.
âIâm a taxpayer. I donât agree with the scheme. I think itâs actually too expensive.â Farmer
Some irrigators say this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform their businesses.
âWith a bold initiative, having the basin plan and the government investing in irrigated agriculture, you get an opportunity to basically reset⌠for the next 50 years.â Irrigation CEO
Others question who is actually gaining the most from the generous scheme.
âWeâre degrading the rivers at the same time as weâre handing out money to a few individuals to realise huge economic gains at public cost.â Ecologist
For those with access to water, there are lucrative sales to be made. Water prices have hit record highs turning it into liquid gold.
âAnyone can come in and buy water. You donât even have to be a farmerâŚYouâre going to make money out of it, and thatâs what a lot of people are doing, unfortunately.â Farmer
Others worry that the scheme is encouraging the planting of crops even thirstier than cotton, creating a potential time bomb.
âThereâs been an explosion in the production of nuts in the Murrumbidgee, and more broadly in the Murray-Darling BasinâŚThis may well be a time bomb.â Former water official
Four Corners investigates how the scheme is being regulated and whether water users and the authorities responsible are being properly held to account.
âWeâre talking about billions of dollars in taxpayersâ money on a scheme that many, many capable and reliable scientists have said, this isnât going to work.â Lawyer
Cash Splash, reported by Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, goes to air on Monday 8th July at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 9th July at 1.00pm and Wednesday 10th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
The Australian reports the National Farmers Federation has accused the ABC of trying to âunravelâ the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and force a royal commission into the water management scheme, as farming groups prepare to make a formal complaint into Monday nightâs episode âCash Splashâ. NFF president Fiona Simson says in an opinion piece in todayâs paper
For 45 minutes, Four Corners sought to discredit the planâs irrigation efficiency program. A program that supports farmers to improve their water use efficiency, grow more and ultimately return more water back to the environment.
EDIT: Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young tweeted on Monday night
https://twitter.com/sarahinthesen8/status/1148180863852482560
ABC Newsâs twitter feed noted yesterday that there was a media release attacking the program from at least one group that came out before the program had even gone to air.
Tell the World
Monday 15 July at 8:30pm
Exposing how China is creating the worldâs largest prison.
âPeople started to literally disappear, communities were being emptied of adult men and women.â China researcher
Itâs a remote corner of the world, but what is taking place there is nothing short of breathtaking.
âMy older brother, younger brothers and two younger sisters, five siblings were all taken by⌠masked police. Heavily armed Special Forces police raided their home and taken (sic) them by covering their face and shackling them in front of the kids.â Australian Uyghur
Xinjiang province is a vast area of deserts and mountains where the ancient Silk Road once ran. Today its Uyghur population is being systematically rounded up with estimates of as many as a million citizens being held in detention.
âI realised it was kind of next level material in terms of what the Chinese state is capable of doing.â Open source investigator
In this investigation by reporter Sophie McNeill, Four Corners uncovers disturbing evidence of how China is effectively operating the worldâs largest prison.
âYou have to watch the brainwashing program on TV in the detention centre. In that room they put (a) chain onto my ankle, put the handcuffs on my hand.â Australian Uyghur detainee
Even those still left in their homes are being monitored. The communist regime is using cutting edge technology, mass surveillance tools and artificial intelligence to control an entire population.
âEvery 200 meters, thereâs checkpoints. They check your IDs. They will check your smartphone.â Australian Uyghur
By piecing together witness accounts from Australian citizens caught up in the Chinese Governmentâs campaign, along with satellite imagery analysis and official documents uncovered online, the truth about what is occurring in Xinjiang is laid bare.
âI realised the magnitude and the impact⌠it was really something else.â Open source investigator
The program has uncovered evidence of detainees being forced to work in factories with implications for Australian companies doing business in the region.
âWestern companies stand an increasing risk of having products made by forced or at least highly involuntary labour.â Academic
The program will also reveal concerning evidence about Australiaâs links to Chinaâs dystopian surveillance state and the tools used to racially profile its own citizens.
âEssentially by doing that, weâre being complicit in the human rights abuses that are occurring in Xinjiang and in China more widely.â Surveillance researcher
The events unfolding in China are creating heartbreak for Uyghurs in Australia. They have stayed quiet for fear of provoking the authorities into punishing their relatives. Now, in desperation they are breaking their silence to tell the world what is going on.
âShe said âIf I am not released, cannot get out of here, please speak up for me. Stand for me. Never give upâ.â Uyghur Australian
âNow I have to speak out. I think Australians, all the Australia need to know this story.â Uyghur Australian
Tell the world, reported by Sophie McNeill, goes to air on Monday 15th July at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 16th July at 1.00pm and Wednesday 17th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
ABC made two corrections regarding the Cash Splash episode on the Murray Darling Basin plan.
ABC reports Target and Cotton On are now investigating their relationships with suppliers in Xinjiang, after a Four Corners investigation reveals some of the companies employ Uyghur people who have been put into detention camps by the Chinese government.
The program about Xinjiang is now freely available on YouTube worldwide.
Julian Assange will be the subject of next weekâs episode.