60 Minutes

On 60 Minutes this week Adam Hegarty speaks with distraught mothers who have been forced to give up their kids, and flown to their fathers in foreign territories.

The Point of No Return
This is a story that's upsetting to watch. 60 Minutes has obtained disturbing footage showing young Australian girls being forcibly taken from their mothers by Australian police officers, so they can be flown overseas, back to their allegedly violent foreign fathers. To any lay person, that this could even happen defies logic. However, the reason it does is due to an international treaty Australia has signed. It's called the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Originally written to protect children, Adam Hegarty reveals there are now serious questions about whether that intention remains the case. In this investigation, he speaks with distraught mothers who have been forced to give up their kids, and are demanding the federal government fix what seems like a glaring failure of duty to look after its young citizens.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Laura Sparkes

Terror at 37,000 Feet
It was a flight into hell. Two years ago, high over southern Myanmar, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 flew into some of the most extreme turbulence ever encountered by a commercial aircraft. There was panic on board as passengers and crew were flung around the cabin. One man died and dozens more, including Australians, were seriously injured. Last week Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau quietly released a report into the tragedy. It agreed with a conclusion 60 Minutes had reached 20 months ago, that the pilots had flown straight into the path of a huge, developing thunderstorm. But why would experienced aviators do something so obviously dangerous?
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Garry McNab

On 60 Minutes a story on domestic violence perpetrators, plus Cleo Smith nearly 5 years on from her abduction.

Need to Know
Anthony Monteleone is a truly contemptible, vicious human being. His complete opposite is Maria, a kind and caring single mother of three young boys. When the two first met however, Monteleone fooled Maria into believing he was a good man. But just a few weeks into their relationship, she realised the truth when Monteleone tried and nearly succeeded in stabbing her to death. As she recovered from her wounds, what this incredibly brave woman also discovered was that he had a violent past. She says if she had known about it, she never would have gone near him in the first place. As Dimity Clancey reports, because of her near-death experience, Maria is now determined to protect other women by campaigning to have the abusive histories of domestic violence perpetrators made public.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producer: Anne Worthington

Cleo
It's always a pleasure to report good news, and this Sunday, 60 Minutes has a very special story update. Remember Cleo Smith? She's the little girl who was abducted from her parent's tent at a remote Western Australian beach back in 2021, and held for 18 days by a drug-addled drifter, before being rescued in a massive police operation. Well, almost five years on, Cleo is thriving.
Reporter: Tara Brown

This Sunday on 60 Minutes, anger over the govt.'s Budget and complaints put directly to the Treasurer.

Off the Plan
There was a time, not that long ago, when federal budgets came and went with relatively few eyebrows raised. Back then, it seemed the main worry for most Australians was the perennial increase in taxes on beer and smokes. Today though, five weeks on from treasurer Jim Chalmers delivering his and the Prime Minister's latest vision for the country's finances, including their proposed fix for intergenerational inequality, the arguments about the budget's merits or failings continue apace. The good news is economists believe what the government wants to do will most likely work. The bad news, however, is the experts say it will take at least 20 years. It's little wonder so many Australians, especially wannabe first homebuyers, are so off the plan. On 60 Minutes, Tara Brown meets with angry Australians negatively affected by the budget, and in a robust encounter, puts their complaints directly to the treasurer.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Amelia Ballinger, Nichola Younger

Breaking Point
According to those who knew him best, there was no better worker than Brian Stronach. Smart, reliable and always willing to knuckle down and put in the extra hours. Everyone has their limits though, and as strange as it sounds, Brian's unquestionable competence ended up being his failing. His dedication to his workplace was so taken advantage of by his employer that it ultimately led to his death. Put simply, at the age of sixty-one the job killed him. But as Adam Hegarty reports, what his family still can't fathom about the tragedy of losing Brian is that he worked at one of Australia's most prestigious universities – a place that should protect its staff, but didn't.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producers: Laura Sparkes, Toni Ambrogetti