In 2023, oil and gas giant Santos faced public rebuke for covering up the bodies of two dead dolphins in an oil spill.

In the ABC Background Briefing miniseries, The Whistleblowers, we hear from the Australians who leaked ground-breaking individual, political and company offences to the press in a fight for public truth. You will hear from leading journalists who delve into the role whistleblowers play in the Australian landscape. The podcast explores the legal proceedings that ensued after employees spoke out against their employers’ actions and the threats they received in an attempt to force their silence. In one episode, podcast host and leading journalist Adele Fergusson delivers her own first hand experience of intimidation when the Commonwealth Bank rang a Senator claiming to possess a file questioning her mental capabilities. These landmark cases showcase the abilities and limitations individuals have in holding their employers accountable and the protections they receive from the legal system.

Key figures on the series include Gillian Sneddon, who shattered the silence on popular politician Orkopoulos’s paedophilia, Jeff Morris who faced down the intimidation of the Commonwealth bank and ‘Susan’ who leaked 2000 documents detailing abuse in Nauru to
The Guardian.