Season 22

An exclusive Australian Story investigation into the death of Justine Damond Ruszczyk, the Australian woman shot dead by a Minneapolis police officer after calling 911 to report a crime. Sydney woman Justine Damond Ruszczyk was living in Minneapolis and weeks away from her wedding when she was shot dead by a US police officer in shocking circumstances that are yet to be explained. (Final for 2017)

Part Two of an exclusive look back at the life of legendary broadcaster Mike Willesee as he faces his greatest challenge - a diagnosis of throat cancer.

Part One of an exclusive look back at the life of legendary broadcaster Mike Willesee as he faces his greatest challenge - a diagnosis of throat cancer.

For 20 years, Elisha Rose has lived with the secret shame of having a multiple murderer for a father. Elisha became a lawyer and tried to atone for her father's sins through charity work, keeping her secret until now.

Socceroos Coach Ange Postecoglou speaks his mind ahead of Australia's do-or-die World Cup qualifying matches against Honduras. Postecoglou confronts the critics of his strategy and addresses speculation about his future.

Australian Story goes behind-the-scenes with boxing's Mr Nice Guy Jeff Horn and his meteoric rise from bullied teen to welterweight champion of the world. The unknown teacher shot to international fame in July when he beat Manny Pacquiao, an 11-times world champion with $500 million in earnings to his name. It was an unexpected takedown from an unlikely opponent. In a brutal, bloody sport, Jeff Horn is a polite, gentle man who loves nothing more than playing board games with friends or honing his magic tricks on nieces and nephews. Few people thought he was up to the challenge of beating Pacquiao and even Jeff admits he had to fight off negative thoughts about "getting flogged". Now with a new baby on the way, Jeff Horn is looking to prove he's more than a one-hit wonder as he prepares to defend his title and cement his reputation as a legend of the sport.

Forty years ago, Waverley Stanley's life changed when a teacher saw something special in the young indigenous student & arranged a boarding school scholarship. Now Waverley is extending the same opportunity to others.

For Belinda Green, beauty was a ticket out of a difficult childhood. She was crowned Miss World in 1972 and was Australia's "It Girl" during the '70s. But something was missing in her life. She began caring for injured wildlife and eventually met an extraordinary vet, Dr Howard Ralph, who inspired a new career path. Now in her sixties, Belinda Green is studying to become a veterinary nurse while volunteering with Dr Ralph in his remarkable wildlife surgery in Braidwood.

Professor Tony Attwood has revolutionised our approach to Asperger's syndrome, credited with being a world expert in diagnosis and treatment and viewing it not as a condition to be 'fixed' but a gift to be valued.

Born with a rare form of dwarfism, actor and dancer Kiruna Stamell has faced discrimination all her life. But her determination to be a performer has never wavered and she has overcome every hurdle with dignity and grace.

When partners John Guthrie & Dennis Cash decided to foster traumatised teenage girls, their friends thought they were crazy. But two decades later, the 'daughters' & 'Dads' have morphed into a remarkable 21st century family.

The extraordinary story behind R U OK? Day. After Gavin Larkin started the suicide prevention movement, he found out he was anything but OK. More than a decade on, his legacy continues to sustain his own family.

Remembering Fiona Richardson, the Victorian Minister who passed away from breast cancer on Wednesday. The nation's first Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, she had her own traumatic experience of domestic abuse

Grant Edwards was once Australia's strongest man. But what he was exposed to as a top Federal Police Officer forced him to confront his own devastating vulnerability.

Supermodel Robyn Lawley and her agent Chelsea Bonner take on the fashion industry to challenge its portrayal of the female form.

She jumped off a bridge to end her life only to wake up in the ER after a miracle survival. One woman's story of recovery and making the most of a second chance at life.

Sam Dastyari was the ALP's rising star until he was forced to resign from the Shadow Ministry last year over a political donations scandal. Tonight, the Senator speaks exclusively about lingering criticisms of his conduct.

Labor Senator Sam Dastyari was a rising star in the halls of Parliament House, until a political donations scandal brought him undone last year.

Sydney GP Dr James Best was prepared to throw out the rulebook on autism as his son Sam entered adolescence. Rather than keeping him to routines, he wanted to expose the 14-year-old to uncertainty and unpredictability.

When Rosie Ayliffe's only child, Mia Ayliffe-Chung, was murdered last August in a Queensland backpacker hostel it made headlines around the world. The 20-year-old was killed along with fellow British backpacker Tom Jackson, who heroically came to Mia's aid. Both had embarked on the 88-day farm work scheme in order to secure a second year in Australia on their 417 visa. Not long after Mia died, Rosie discovered widespread sexual, financial and psychological exploitation on the scheme and felt the need to act. She does not want Mia's death to be futile and is campaigning to make the 88-day farm work scheme safe for backpackers. She wants to ensure that no other parent lives through what she and the Jacksons have endured. We follow her story from the rolling hills of Derbyshire in the UK to the tiny Queensland town of Home Hill as she makes an emotional return to the hostel where her daughter died.

When Rosie Ayliffe's only child, Mia Ayliffe-Chung, was murdered last August in a Queensland backpacker hostel it made headlines around the world. The 20-year-old was killed along with fellow British backpacker Tom Jackson, who heroically came to Mia's aid. Both had embarked on the 88-day farm work scheme in order to secure a second year in Australia on their 417 visa. Not long after Mia died, Rosie discovered widespread sexual, financial and psychological exploitation on the scheme and felt the need to act. She does not want Mia's death to be futile and is campaigning to make the 88-day farm work scheme safe for backpackers. She wants to ensure that no other parent lives through what she and the Jacksons have endured. We follow her story from the rolling hills of Derbyshire in the UK to the tiny Queensland town of Home Hill as she makes an emotional return to the hostel where her daughter died.

As we celebrate NAIDOC Week, Australian Story delves into the largely untold story of Uncle Ossie Cruse, a driving force for Aboriginal rights for more than 50 years. With only a primary school education and having lived as an itinerant worker for years, Uncle Ossie stepped into the world of politics after the 1967 referendum, which saw Indigenous Australians counted in the census for the first time. He was a quiet but persistent negotiator with a knack for getting politicians to come to the table and to listen to the concerns of his people. He took his advocacy all the way to the United Nations and became a member of the World Council of Indigenous People. Now, at 83, Uncle Ossie is seeing a long-held dream come to fruition - the re-establishment of an ancient Aboriginal pathway stretching from the Snowy Mountains to the coast at Eden. It was where Aboriginal people first showed white settlers the safest way to the high country. Uncle Ossie describes it as a shared pathway that will bring divided cultures together in reconciliation - something he has been fighting for all his life.

When Mayor Chagai was six years old he fled civil war in South Sudan, becoming one of Africa's "lost boys". In 2006 he came to Australia as a refugee, 19 years old and penniless. A decade later he is a community leader in Western Sydney, drawing on his love of basketball to change the lives of young Sudanese men. Thursday nights in Blacktown used to be called "fight night" as young men from different ethnic groups clashed but Mayor realised sport could heal the trauma of war and keep wayward Sudanese youth out of trouble. He started a basketball program that is turning out the champions of tomorrow. American coaches regularly attend tournaments here to scout for talent and 14 of Mayor's players have been recruited to the USA. But just as Mayor's efforts achieve international recognition, family responsibilities weigh heavily and without funding he fears he may have to abandon his program.

At 31, Vincent Shin is Australia's first dedicated in-school lawyer, providing students at The Grange P-12 College in Melbourne's outer west with advice on everything from fines for fare evasion to the legalities of sexting and how to deal with domestic violence. Vincent is well placed to understand the challenges faced by the school's students, who come mainly from low socio-economic backgrounds. His childhood and adolescence were blighted by family violence, he mixed with the wrong crowd and failed year 12. He turned his life around, enrolling in TAFE and eventually getting a law degree. On graduating he worked in family law and his new role also provides an opportunity to help children deal with the sorts of experiences he and his family went through. Vincent started opening up about his experiences with domestic violence a few years ago but for the first time he reveals a family secret that shook him to the core. For Vincent Shin, speaking openly about his past is a way to heal.

Sam Goddard's story is one of determination and a family's love in the most devastating circumstances. Australian Story first shared Sam's journey in 2011 and the story received an overwhelming reaction in Australia and overseas. At the age of 23, a series of strokes had left Sam completely incapacitated and unable to communicate. Seeking a miracle, his family and partner Sally Nielsen searched the internet and stumbled upon the controversial sleeping tablet Stilnox, which they learned was being used overseas to treat people with brain damage. Contrary to medical advice, they took a risk and trialled Sam on Stilnox. The drug had a remarkable effect. Within 15 minutes, Sam was able to talk and express his feelings. Now, six years later, we find out what happened next for Sam Goddard and his family in their search for a miracle.

The unsolved 1973 murder of young Sydney mother Lynette White terrified the community and has baffled police for more than 40 years. Lynette's husband Paul discovered her body when he returned home from work and has lobbied tirelessly in the years since to have the murder re-investigated. When he joined forces with an old friend, former ABC journalist Bob Wurth, those efforts began to bear fruit. Two years ago a cold case investigation began and vital new leads are now emerging. Australian Story was granted rare access to this ongoing investigation, going behind the scenes with homicide detectives as they search for a breakthrough in the case.

Australian Story catches up with the latest on Dr Rolf Gomes, the engineer-turned-cardiologist who came up with an ambitious idea to 'revolutionise' rural medicine with his mobile 'Heart Bus'.

Having pulled himself from the depths of heroin addiction at the beginning of 1990, Luke set about rebuilding his life and career. He wrote Candy, a semi-autobiographical account of his relationship with Megan Bannister and their years of addiction. A film adaptation followed, starring Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish. Luke then gambled everything on a move to Los Angeles. However, he struggled to find work and became increasingly debilitated by the effects of Hepatitis C, a legacy of his heroin addiction. In the past two years, however, Luke has experienced a dramatic change of fortune both personally and professionally. With his Oscars nomination for Lion, a film about motherly love, there was no question who he would take to the ceremony - his own mother Joan, who had supported him unfailingly through all his highs and lows. Australian Story accompanied Luke and Joan to the Oscars and filmed with him extensively in Los Angeles and Sydney. Featuring candid interviews with Luke's parents and former partners, as well actors Dev Patel (Lion), Joel Edgerton, Jacki Weaver and Alex O'Loughlin, directors Neil Armfield and David Michod, and producer Emile Sherman, this is a remarkable story of redemption.

The global success of hit movie Lion has made screenwriter Luke Davies one of Hollywood's hottest properties. But the path to success has not been an easy one. An unhealthy fascination with drugs in his teens turned into an obsession by his early 20s. He and partner Megan Bannister plunged into a decade of heroin addiction, a terrible chapter in their lives that Luke would later immortalise in the novel, and then movie, Candy. Megan - the real Candy - gives her account of those years for the first time on camera. Luke's parents also speak for the first time about their anguish at their son's decline. In 1990, after a decade of despair, Luke Davies gave up heroin - a decision that probably saved his life and allowed him to realise his childhood dream of being a writer. Then in 2007 he left Australia to try his luck in Hollywood. After years of financial struggle he struck gold with his script for Lion, winning a BAFTA award and being nominated for an Oscar. This remarkable story of redemption also features candid interviews with actors Dev Patel (Lion), Joel Edgerton, Jacki Weaver and Alex O'Loughlin, directors Neil Armfield and David Michod, and producer Emile Sherman.

David Pollock's radical project to remove income-earning livestock from his historic property, Wooleen, shocked his neighbours. Ten years on, we revisit Wooleen to find out how the grand plans to regenerate the property are going.

From humble beginnings as the child of migrant parents to an internet sensation, Eddie Woo is arguably now the most famous maths teacher in Australia.

Peter Lyndon-James is a former ice addict and criminal now running Australia's strictest drug rehabilitation centre. At Shalom House in Perth, addicts go cold turkey with surprising results.

Peter Lyndon-James is a former ice addict and criminal who now runs 'the nation's strictest' drug rehabilitation centre. At Shalom House in Perth, addicts agree to go 'cold turkey' off all drugs including cigarettes, get their heads shaved and go to Christian church services three times a week. The program, which gets no government funding, is proving successful, turning seemingly intractable criminals and addicts into 'geeks' - upstanding, productive members of society. Peter Lyndon-James ran a big drug-dealing operation in Western Australia and went to jail on drugs charges until radically changing his life in 2000. In the past four years, Shalom House has seen rapid growth from just a few men to now nearly 80 residents. But not all of them are happy with the strictness of the program.

Tyler Wright was destined to be a future world champion surfer. At just 14 she overtook multiple champions, some twice her age, to become the youngest-ever winner of a Championship Tour event. But the pressure of growing up "on tour" took its toll. Were it not for a timely conversation with her older brother Owen, also a professional surfer, she may have quit her career at just 18. Over the following three years, Tyler developed a reputation for her carefree attitude to competing. Then, after a semi-final loss in 2015, she had an epiphany: she did want to win. But her quest for a world title was thrown into turmoil when Owen Wright suffered a serious brain injury at the treacherous Pipeline break in Hawaii. At 21, Tyler became her brother's primary carer. She felt at a crossroads: should she quit the tour to be by her brother's side, or leave him to chase her dream of the world title?

One morning in October 2015, two police officers knocked on the door of writer and newspaper columnist Nikki Gemmell. They were there to inform her that her mother Elayn had been found dead in her apartment. An apparent suicide. Did she know of her mother's plans? Had she inadvertently contributed to her death in some way? Blindsided by shock and guilt, Nikki was left not only devastated but desperately searching for answers. Alarmed, too, that she was suddenly part of a police investigation. A vibrant and independent woman, Elayn had been suffering from chronic pain after a failed foot operation and had subsequently become addicted to painkillers. With four children and a busy career, Nikki had struggled to deal with her mother's increasing dependence. Now, like a detective, she began to piece together her mother's secret life. Who had she told of her plans, if not her family? How had she fed her opioid addiction? Recognising that her mother had been forced to die a lonely death to protect her loved ones, Nikki dived down the rabbit hole of the euthanasia debate and unexpectedly found herself an advocate for change.

Mojgan Shamsalipoor came to Australia in 2012, aged 17, after fleeing terrible abuse and trauma in her home country, Iran. The young asylum seeker found sanctuary in Brisbane, living in the community while her application for a protection visa was assessed. She fell in love and married a young Iranian refugee, Milad Jafari, and attended a supportive high school where she regained her self-confidence and became a popular student. But her dreams of a happier future came crashing down. When Australian Story first told of the challenges Mojgan faced, in July last year, she was in immigration detention with no prospect of release. A lot has changed since then. Mojgan has been released back into the community on a bridging visa, but it will expire this month and her future remains uncertain.

The unsolved murder of Perth brothel madam Shirley Finn is one of Australia's most notorious cold cases. For Shirley Finn's daughter, Bridget Shewring, it is a personal tragedy. In June 1975 her mother's body was found slumped in the front seat of her Dodge, four bullet holes to the back of the head. From the outset rumours of police and political involvement swirled around the case, many believing that Shirley Finn was silenced to stop her revealing the secrets of powerful figures in Western Australia. For the past decade Bridget and former journalist Juliet Wills have been seeking an inquest into the murder. Last year, after discovering significant new evidence, they achieved their goal. With that inquest expected later this year Bridget and Juliet take us behind the story of Shirley Finn's murder, in the hope of encouraging anyone who has further information to come forward.

With early signs the Great Barrier Reef may be bleaching again, this episode tells the timely story of a scientist's passion and determination to save some of the world's great coral reefs from extinction. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is at the forefront of a bold new global plan to combat the devastating effects of climate change on coral reefs. It is called "50 Reefs" and funded by US philanthropy. A marine biologist and underwater adventurer, Professor Hoegh-Guldberg has been captivated by the ocean and coral reefs since childhood when he would play with real fish instead of toys in his bathtub. He created controversy 18 years ago by predicting the death of many of the world's coral reefs if sea temperatures continued to heat up from climate change. At the time his projections were met with scepticism and he was accused of being alarmist. But since then Professor Hoegh-Guldberg's overall predictions about the impact of climate change on coral reefs have proved correct. His work in preserving coral reefs is supported by many in the international community including Sir David Attenborough, who is featured in this program.

Australian singer-songwriter Melody Pool's journey through young love and heartbreak takes a surprising turn and threatens to derail a promising career.