background briefing

Do we turn a blind eye to the aggression and militarism — and colonialism — that defined the Italian Renaissance? Plus, hear why artist Vernon Ah Kee can't ignore a distinct Australian brand of racism, and whether a work by the Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi found its way to 1970s Sydney.

It's mostly illegal to sell nicotine for vaping in Australia, but there are some powerful players who want to change that.

The tobacco industry wants smokers to take up vaping, but it's also getting help from libertarians all over the world who believe the right to vape represents personal freedom.

Ariel Bogle gets onboard the Vape Force One bus to find out more.

It’s only 30 kilometres east of Brisbane but the economic gap between Cleveland and the Queensland capital is massive.

Now an influential developer wants to revitalise the coastal town by building a $1.4 billion precinct on the foreshore.

There’s just one problem: the region’s wetlands are protected under an international treaty known as the Ramsar convention.

So who prevails in a battle between birdlife and business? Steve Cannane investigates.

Why would someone intentionally start a bushfire? And if authorities knew why, could they stop them?

Background Briefing gains rare access to convicted arsonists and at-risk teens to find out.

Alex Mann investigates a new approach that fire authorities say could split those with an interest in fire from those with a burning obsession.

This is a repeat of a program that aired in November 2017.

It’s domestic violence with the added threat of deportation.

In many South Asian cultures, the bride’s family often pays the groom. But sometimes the demands for dowry don’t stop with the wedding.

Migrant women in Australia speak to Sarah Dingle for the first time about falling unwittingly into abusive relationships.