Ariel Bogle

Indonesian content creator Adira describes earning money from Meta by posting provocative, often AI-generated material in Facebook groups supporting Australian and US conservative figures. She says she has little knowledge of the politics involved and is motivated primarily by engagement payments. The activity reflects Indonesia’s broader buzzer economy, in which economically vulnerable users amplify political messages for clicks. Researchers argue that Meta’s creator-payment model incentivizes this behavior, while Meta says several One Nation groups identified in an earlier investigation were suspended for policy violations.

A Chinese woman in her mid-30s died by suicide at Melbourne immigration detention centre less than 24 hours after being detained, despite Australian Border Force warning Secure Journeys that she had previously self-harmed and recently experienced suicidal thoughts. The death has prompted questions about her monitoring and accommodation, while Victoria police and the Victorian coroner are investigating. China’s embassy lodged formal representations and expressed grave concern. The case adds to mounting scrutiny of Secure Journeys and its parent company, Management and Training Corporation, amid reports of understaffing, security failures, violence, missed medical appointments and hundreds of self-harm incidents across Australia’s detention network.

The podcast examines 764, a global online network accused of manipulating children into violence, self-harm and sexual exploitation, and in some cases coercing vulnerable minors to become perpetrators. It discusses urgent warnings from the FBI and investigations underway worldwide, including in Australia, while highlighting the dangers these networks pose to children.

The 764 network is part of a broader, fluid online ecosystem known as the Com, where young perpetrators allegedly groom and extort vulnerable peers into self-harm, sexual exploitation and violence. The article examines cases in Sweden, Australia, the US, the UK and New Zealand, including the prosecution of a Swedish teenager known online as Chai, who denies the allegations. Researchers and authorities say the groups use threats, blackmail, status-seeking and the circulation of abusive material to recruit and control victims, many of whom are LGBTQI+ young people, racial minorities or those experiencing mental-health difficulties. At least 295 arrests linked to the Com have been identified across 33 countries, while courts and investigators continue to assess how to hold people accountable for remotely coercing others. Greater awareness among parents, police and platforms is identified as essential to detecting and preventing further abuse.

An analysis of 14 large public Facebook groups supporting Australia's One Nation suggests that most are operated or heavily supplied by overseas digital creators, particularly in Indonesia and India, who monetise engagement. Experts describe the groups as possible “engagement farms” that use outrage bait, Islamophobic themes, copied party material and AI-generated images to attract Australian audiences and generate advertising, subscriptions or other platform income. One group was linked to an account impersonating federal MP David Farley that promoted cryptocurrency investment advice; Meta removed the account after being contacted and said it would review policy violations. One Nation says its members have been impersonated for years but declined to answer detailed questions.

Australian police are increasingly using so-called less-lethal weapons, including tasers, tear gas and projectile launchers, against protesters. The weapons can cause serious injury or death when misused, while police often provide limited information about their use. The Guardian’s investigations team reviewed protest footage, court and tender records, and consulted experts to document the weapons in police arsenals and the harm they can cause.

New Zealand researchers Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski say they identified previously undiscovered 4chan comments linked to Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant, challenging his claim that he was merely an online observer. The posts allegedly show longstanding racist beliefs, support for white-supremacist violence and growing engagement with Australia’s far-right scene, including apparent praise for Dylann Roof’s 2015 church massacre. The researchers argue that Tarrant’s online activity and propaganda helped create a script later imitators have followed, while New Zealand’s intelligence agency stresses the difficulty of distinguishing hateful rhetoric from genuine attack intent. Their findings suggest Tarrant’s path to violence and continuing influence in extremist online communities warrant renewed scrutiny.

Australian police forces use foam and baton projectiles, chemical irritants, PepperBall launchers, stinger grenades, flashbangs and Tasers against protesters and other members of the public, despite the weapons’ potential to cause severe injury or death. An investigation drawing on protest footage, tender documents, court records, inquests and police data found that forces often refuse to disclose manufacturers, models, deployment rules or comprehensive usage figures. Experts and legal advocates say the weapons are inaccurate, indiscriminate and increasingly used for routine compliance and crowd dispersal rather than as alternatives to firearms. Civil claims, deaths and injuries have prompted scrutiny, but confidential settlements, suppression orders and inconsistent police data continue to limit accountability.

Labor backbencher Ed Husic criticized the revised AUKUS submarine arrangement, arguing that replacing a planned new Virginia-class submarine with a third secondhand vessel was being disingenuously sold as a better deal. He said the ministerial backlash against his comments reflected an unhealthy culture of compliance that could suppress dissent. Labor’s tax reforms passed the House of Representatives, while the Greens and Coalition considered extending parliamentary inquiries into the tax package and NDIS changes. The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, said Australia was not experiencing stagflation and that the federal budget had not added to projected inflationary pressure, although the Middle East conflict and oil prices posed risks to growth. An audit found the Australian National University approved its $250 million Renew cost-cutting program without clear evidence of urgency, while Zara, H&M and Sephora paid penalties for late financial reporting. Other developments included proposed medicinal-cannabis driving-law changes in New South Wales, a legal challenge over recordings involving two nurses accused of antisemitic remarks, and credible sightings of an escaped Tasmanian devil named Mary.

Australian Border Force confirmed that MTC and its subsidiary Secure Journeys were fined after 12 escapes from immigration detention facilities, but refused to disclose the amount, citing commercial confidentiality. The companies’ $2.3bn contract has come under scrutiny following escapes, fires, staff injuries, missed medical appointments, inadequate training and warnings that understaffing is putting workers and detainees at risk. Government officials acknowledged serious concerns and said MTC’s US leadership had been summoned, while critics called for greater transparency and warned that the detention system is in crisis.

Management and Training Corporation, operating Australia’s immigration detention network through Secure Journeys, has faced more than 12 escapes or attempted escapes, serious injuries, missed medical appointments and inadequate emergency preparedness during its first 14 months. Internal documents and regulator findings indicate severe understaffing, flawed detainee risk assessments and failures in fire safety and escort procedures. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke privately reprimanded MTC’s president in September 2025, but problems have continued. Comcare found foreseeable risks to workers and detainees and warned that the department had failed to ensure compliance with workplace safety laws. Although the government has imposed financial penalties, replacing MTC would be costly and difficult, leaving the department reliant on a contractor officials describe as effectively unsalvageable.

A vigil in Sydney’s Hyde Park honored Bikram Lama, a 32-year-old Nepalese man who died while sleeping rough and whose body may have remained undiscovered for up to a week. His identity has still not been formally confirmed because authorities are awaiting a DNA sample from his mother, causing distress for his family and the Australian-Nepalese community. Homelessness workers and people with lived experience said non-resident status severely limited Lama’s access to housing, healthcare and support. Independent MP Alex Greenwich called for an inquest into possible state and federal policy failures, while advocates urged governments to treat the deaths of homeless people as a national crisis and address homelessness as a solvable problem.

The Guardian’s Australia live blog reported that a US technology-industry lobby group urged the Trump administration to consider targeted trade remedies if Australia proceeds with a news bargaining incentive requiring Meta, Google and TikTok to make commercial agreements with local media or pay a 2.25% levy. Other major developments included inflation rising to 4.6% amid an oil crisis, fuel prices easing in most major cities, and the prime minister ruling out a new gas export tax on existing contracts. Police charged Coleen Lamarre over alleged witness tampering in her son Beau Lamarre-Condon’s double-murder case, while Northern Territory police continued a large search for missing five-year-old Sharon. The blog also covered planned childcare-centre closures by G8 Education, electric-vehicle charging investment, a pro-Palestine protest charge, concerns about threats against eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, One Nation’s growing support, and political controversy surrounding a proposed cryptocurrency resort in Timor-Leste.

Timor-Leste’s opposition has questioned President José Ramos-Horta over his decision to grant Chinese businessman Lin Xiaofan a diplomatic passport and advise him on economic affairs while he promoted the proposed AB Digital Technology Resort in Dili. The resort’s alleged connections to individuals associated with Cambodia’s Prince Group, which US authorities accuse of operating large-scale cryptocurrency scams and money laundering, have prompted calls for investigations into the project’s investors, land acquisition and possible local political involvement. Prince Group, the resort’s current shareholders and Lin deny criminal wrongdoing. Ramos-Horta says he has seen no evidence that transnational criminal groups have infiltrated Timor-Leste, but acknowledges the country’s vulnerability to organised crime.

Nour Haydar speaks with investigations reporter Ariel Bogle about Australian children charged with possessing extremist material. The discussion examines how counter-extremism laws can affect vulnerable young people who may not understand that their actions constitute a crime, arguing that the legislation may be overly broad and harmful despite its stated goal of disrupting extremism.

A Southport attack inquiry found that Axel Rudakubana likely viewed footage of the 2024 stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Sydney’s Wakeley shortly before killing three girls and attempting to murder ten others in the UK. The inquiry criticized X for inadequate age verification, delayed disclosure, limited cooperation, and continuing to host graphic footage outside Australia. It also identified failures by multiple agencies, parental shortcomings, and Rudakubana’s exposure to violent and misogynistic online material as factors that prevented authorities from recognizing the risk he posed. A second phase will consider measures to address young people’s access to violent extremist content and fascination with extreme violence.

Management and Training Corporation, the US private contractor operating Australia’s onshore immigration detention centres, has ordered that all detainees be handcuffed during transport and escorts unless medically exempt. The directive follows more than a dozen escapes or attempted escapes, including an incident in which a high-risk detainee allegedly stabbed two staff while being transported in an unsecured Kia Carnival. Staffing shortages and other security failures are also under scrutiny after an alleged fire at Villawood detention centre and a hospital-escort escape. The Department of Home Affairs says it is working with contractor subsidiary Secure Journeys to ensure facilities meet safety and contractual obligations.

Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta has warned that the country is vulnerable to infiltration by foreign organized crime, while saying he currently sees no organized crime established there. The Australian Federal Police is supporting Timor-Leste’s law-enforcement and cyber-forensics capabilities amid concerns over online scam centres. A Guardian–OCCRP investigation found alleged links between people involved in a proposed Dili resort and Cambodia-based Prince Group, whose founder Chen Zhi was indicted by US authorities over alleged fraud and money laundering and whose assets were seized or frozen by several governments. Prince Group denies any involvement in scams, and the resort’s current shareholders say the alleged associates were dismissed after sanctions. Investor Lin Xiaofan also denies wrongdoing. Australia and Timor-Leste have agreed to deepen cooperation against transnational crime and strengthen regional security.

A Guardian and OCCRP investigation examines an undeveloped luxury cryptocurrency resort planned near Dili airport in Timor-Leste and identifies alleged links between three former project associates and Cambodia-based Prince Holding Group, which US authorities accuse of running forced-labour scam compounds and laundering money. The AB network and the resort’s promoters deny criminality, and the three associates have been removed from the project following US sanctions. The investigation also scrutinizes businessman Lin Xiaofan’s prominent role, his diplomatic passport and reported donations linked to the AB Foundation, as well as President José Ramos-Horta’s support and growing doubts about whether the resort is genuine or could facilitate money laundering. The case highlights concerns that Timor-Leste, a vulnerable developing state, could become a base for transnational organized crime.

Seven years after a white supremacist murdered 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques, New Zealand continues to commemorate the victims while debate persists in Australia over its role in the attacker’s upbringing and radicalization. Imam Alaa Elzokm and reporter Ariel Bogle discuss Australia’s limited reckoning with the massacre, persistent Islamophobia and possible steps to confront far-right extremism.

The Full Story podcast examines how Australian police are increasingly using so-called less-lethal weapons—including stinger grenades, OC spray and bean bag rounds—against protesters. Nour Haydar speaks with Ariel Bogle and Nino Bucci about the deployment of these tools, their controversial effects and their alleged links to multiple deaths, while courts examine the role of such weapons in three Australian deaths.

Australian children, including autistic young people with language and social difficulties, are being charged under laws criminalising possession of violent extremist material, even when there is no evidence of terrorist intent. Court records show cases involving Islamic State propaganda, violent videos and bomb-making material, with some charges dropped or diverted and others resulting in guilty pleas. Experts and legal bodies argue the laws are unclear, disproportionately affect vulnerable children and may undermine rehabilitation or discourage families from seeking help. Police and the Australian Federal Police defend the offences as an early-intervention tool against radicalisation, while researchers warn that overly broad enforcement and inappropriate investigative methods could worsen rather than reduce the risk of extremism.