Four Corners Season 64, Episode 27: Water Grab

1

Super Power

The cost of living with Coles and Woolworths. We uncover the tactics used by supermarkets to keep prices high - and competition out. Both deny price gouging but there are now six inquiries and reviews targeting the duopoly.

47 min

2

The Wanted

A man accused by Rwandan authorities of being involved in brutal atrocities is living in Australia's suburbs. This joint Four Corners and Guardian investigation raise tough questions about our immigration screening processes.

47 min

3

Old School

Why the rest of Australia should care about what's happening at elite schools. Amid the push for private boys' schools in Australia to go co-educational, we investigate if these institutions are safe places for girls.

50 min

4

The Forever War

Inside Israel's war machine. John Lyons asks the tough questions; challenging some of Israel's most powerful political and military voices about the country's strategy and intentions. Is there any way out of this war?

46 min

5

Ukraine's War - The Other Side

Two years since Ukraine was invaded by Russia, Four Corners brings you a rare insight from the other side. Filmmaker Sean Langan's groundbreaking documentary offers a human perspective on life on the Russian frontline.

45 min

6

Rules of Engagement

Behind the scenes of David McBride's fight to clear his name. The former Australian military lawyer is credited with exposing war crimes in Afghanistan - but was that his intention when he released government secrets?

47 min

7

The Ozempic Underground

The weight-loss wonder drugs in high demand and short supply. Elise Worthington meets desperate patients trying to access medications like Ozempic and exposes an Australian scam illegally exporting the suspect drugs overseas.

44 min

8

Pain Factory

More than three million Australians are living with chronic pain, and it's become a breeding ground for exploitation. We expose the ugly side of medicine with patients in worse pain after having surgery and lives put at risk.

47 min

9

The Discord Leaks

The inside story of one of America's biggest national security leaks. We expose the inner circle and the young US Air National Guardsman at the centre of it, who leaked classified defence documents on an online chat platform.

46 min

10

Meth Highway

Australia's addiction to crystal meth or 'ice' is having devastating consequences, but beyond the street dealer, most are unaware of the drug's murky supply chains - and the faceless figures profiting at the top.

44 min

11

The Kids Who Can't Go to School

A growing number of children are struggling to attend school - they want to go to school but feel like they can't because of anxiety and stress. We meet families battling the blame, shame and fear of missing out on education.

47 min

12

Porn: A Ruthless Business

A major international investigation into how porn websites operate and exposes their business models. Former employees give inside accounts, and victims whose lives have been destroyed by the videos speak out.

45 min

13

Ruthless Pursuit

For the first time ever, a former spy for China's notorious secret police goes public, exposing the covert and illegal operations he was ordered to carry out on foreign soil, including in Australia.

48 min

14

Kidfluencers

Who's following our children online? It's the age of social media influencers and Australian kids are getting on board. But there's a darker side to this new and unregulated world. How can we keep young people safe?

45 min

15

Boeing's Fatal Flaw

New, tough questions are being asked about Boeing's 737 Max, the fastest-selling jet in the company's history. PBS Frontline and The New York Times investigate the plane's commercial pressures, flawed design and failed oversight.

45 min

16

Breaking Free

Every year, 19,000 people leave prison in New South Wales. Reporter Linton Besser meets the lucky few who've been given a place at Sydney's Rainbow Lodge - one of the longest continually running halfway houses in the world.

47 min

17

Wind Wars

A new climate battle is now raging, pitting nature conservation against wind farms. It's fracturing communities and leading to enemies forming alliances. Plus the next frontier for clean energy - giant wind turbines offshore.

46 min

18

Infiltrating Australia

The long arm of the Indian state in Australia. Avani Dias reveals new details about the local "nest of spies" previously disrupted by ASIO and meets Australian residents who say they've been threatened by India's authorities.

47 min

19

When IVF Goes Wrong

One in every 18 births in Australia is now a result of IVF. It's a multi-million-dollar industry creating 'miracle babies'. But when things go wrong, who is holding these fertility clinics to account? Grace Tobin reports.

46 min

20

Inside China's Tech Boom

From solar power to 5G, China has transformed into a science and technology superpower - but how does China innovate? What drives its bid for technological supremacy, and what it means for the future of the global economy.

46 min

21

Sex Tourism - My Father's Secret

Sex work is big business in the Philippines, and men from overseas have fathered many children to sex workers. Children's DNA is being used to identify their sex-tourist fathers, track them down, and demand child support.

46 min

22

Retribution - The Battle For Democracy (Part 1)

There has never been a US president like Donald Trump - and now he's back, this time with a detailed plan for his second coming. Mark Willacy sits down with White House insiders who witnessed the chaos of Trump's first term.

56 min

23

Retribution - The Battlegrounds (Part 2)

Donald Trump was talking about immigration on stage during the assassination attempt that left him bloodied and defiant. It's one of the fundamental issues currently dividing the US, alongside the economy, abortion, and race.

55 min

24

Canada's Climate War

Mega-fires destroying forests, hungry polar bears invading towns and fishing villages at risk of going underwater - Canada's climate catastrophe. Can one of the world's largest producers of fossil fuels combat global warming?

44 min

25

The New Trade War

Is a tussle over electric vehicle imports the start of another East-West trade war? Fuelling the conflict are accusations that China is dumping EVs, solar panels and batteries on the global market, at artificially low prices.

45 min

26

Don't Speak

Channel Seven bills itself as a family network. Four Corners investigates allegations of sexism, exploitation and extreme bullying at the network. In some extreme cases employees have been hospitalised.

50 min

27

Water Grab

In the red soil of the Top End a new 'silver bullet' industry is emerging - cotton. Angus Grigg exposes a system riven by conflicts of interest that threatens to destroy some of the NT's most famous tourism destinations.

46 min

28

The Big War

With the Middle East on the brink of war, Four Corners travels to Iran, Lebanon and Israel to investigate why a new regional war is looming. Global Affairs Editor John Lyons and the Four Corners team gain rare access to Iran.

47 min

29

Troubled Waters

A compelling documentary that sheds light on the escalating tensions in the South China Sea, exploring the broader geopolitical implications including the Philippines' deepening partnerships with Australia and Japan.

44 min

30

The Strata Trap

Linton Besser exposes the graft and greed of the strata industry - supposed to protect apartment owners' interests - with shocking stories of financial abuse, unethical practices and a lack of meaningful consumer protection.

45 min

32

Silent Orders

The execution of one of Australia's most powerful organised criminals in Sydney raised difficult questions. Surveillance recorded the alleged murder plot weeks beforehand, yet police faced a dilemma - Should they intervene?

44 min

33

Germany's Enemy Within

Germany has spent decades reckoning with its Nazi history, but far-right extremism and violent plots, particularly targeting Jews, Muslims and immigrants, have been increasing. Evan Williams investigates the rise of the AfD.

44 min

34

Flight Club

What went wrong for Rex Airlines. The regional carrier entered voluntary administration and hundreds of jobs were lost. Emily Baker interviews Rex's former leaders and asks why Australia can't seem to sustain a third airline.

45 min

35

Nuclear Gamble

Is nuclear a viable answer to Australia's energy woes or is it a quixotic quest never to be realised? Eric Campbell visits the US, the largest producer of nuclear energy in the world and the place where atomic energy began.

46 min

36

Music For Sale

Multinational Live Nation dominates Australia's live music industry, squeezing out competition by acquiring smaller independent operators. Avani Dias speaks to insiders who expose the company's practices for the first time.

47 min

37

Road Gold

Decades of backroom deals between state governments and toll operators have left Australia's biggest cities with a network of private roads that are worsening the cost-of-living crisis. Pat McGrath investigates.

45 min

38

Crisis on Campus

The polarising debate over free speech, antisemitism, Israel, the Palestinians and the political forces behind months of chaos and dissent across America's college campuses as student protesters condemn Israel's war on Gaza.

45 min

39

Disconnected

The true cost of social media and younger generations facing the brunt of the deadly consequences. As Australia grapples with how to regulate social media, parents in the US are taking tech giants to court.

48 min