60 Minutes

60 Minutes returns to Nine this Sunday for 2026 with a special by Dimity Clancey on hero Ahmed Al Ahmed, who wrestled with one of the terrorists at Bondi Beach in December.

The 14th of December 2025 is a date now seared in Australian history forever. What happened at Bondi Beach on that awful day was the deadliest terrorist attack on our shores. Fifteen innocent people were killed and 40 more injured when two gunmen unleashed evil. But out of the devastation, accounts of incredible bravery emerged. And of the many people who showed courage under fire, Ahmed Al Ahmed's story is especially significant. Video beamed around the world proved how, without any regard for his own safety, he confronted and overpowered one of the attackers.

For the premiere of its 48th season, Dimity Clancey presents a special edition of 60 Minutes as Ahmed Al Ahmed returns to Bondi for the first time and reveals in extraordinary detail his role in saving countless lives. Mr Al Ahmed tells Clancey what possessed him to tackle one of the alleged terrorists, Sajid Akram, and the words he screamed as he disarmed the gunman. He also answers the question many have asked: Why, when he had the chance, did he not shoot Akram? Mr Al Ahmed provides a gripping explanation of his actions in the Bondi attack; a moment in time Australians wished had never happened, but are so thankful that people like Ahmed Al Ahmed were there to provide help.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producers: Anne Worthington, Sheree Gibson

On 60 Minutes Amelia Adams reports on the Australian children removed by Italian authorities from their family living off the grid.

Catherine Birmingham and Nathan Trevallion want only the very best for their three children. For these loving parents that means bringing up their two young daughters and son without the stresses and distractions of modern life. A few years ago, the Australian family bought a tiny, crumbling house in the Italian countryside. It boasted no connected power, no running water, not even a flushing toilet. It was their idea of nirvana. And of course, for the kids, there was no formal schooling. However, bliss for this family was anything but for Italy's welfare authorities, which last November decided to save the children from their parents, by taking them away, and placing them in a locked-up foster care facility. Now Catherine and Nathan are in a desperate battle to have their family reunited. As Amelia Adams reports from the beautiful Abruzzo region of Italy, this case has attracted widespread media attention as people all over the world debate whether the family's off-the-grid lifestyle is idyllic, or idiotic.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producers: Natalie Clancy, Nichola Younger

On 60 Minutes this week, Nick McKenzie exposes the activities of a collapsed security and cleaning firm proprietor.

"The Playboy Predator"

Micky Ahuja wanted the world to believe he was a successful and hardworking businessman. The reality though was the complete opposite. Ahuja owned and operated MA Services, a major security and cleaning firm. For years the company thrived, but as Nick McKenzie reveals in a joint 60 Minutes, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald investigation, it was largely due to a nefarious and illegal practice. Ahuja was secretly exploiting thousands of his own vulnerable workers. He didn't pay them the legal minimum wage, and he ignored their entitlements. But of course, as the money flowed in at his employees' expense, he made sure he looked after himself. And as he got wealthier, he was emboldened. Ahuja became the playboy predator.
Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Producer: Garry McNab, Cameron Houston

Attack of the Drones
As worrying as the deteriorating mayhem in the Middle East already is, it's also an alarming glimpse into the future of war. The modern battlefield is changing at a pace never before experienced. As Adam Hegarty reports, it's being driven by technical brilliance, the rise of artificial intelligence. The fact is drones and robots, controlled entirely by A.I., are no longer the product of someone's imagination. These weapons can now hunt and kill for themselves. But there are difficult questions the world needs to consider: Does all of this no doubt impressive know-how help protect humanity? Or is it simply accelerating our own extinction?
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Laura Sparkes

The Playboy Predator
Every day, journalists everywhere attend media conferences. Most are relatively straightforward, mundane events. Information is provided, questions are asked and answered. Last Tuesday though, there was an extraordinary exception to the rule. From Dubai, failed businessman Micky Ahuja invited reporters in Australia to a very strange Zoom media conference. He wanted to respond to allegations made last week on 60 Minutes that his collapsed security business exploited thousands of its workers, and that he was a sexual predator. Ahuja also used the opportunity to target investigative reporter Nick McKenzie, but as Dimity Clancey reports, he might now be regretting that idea.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producers: Garry McNab, Cameron Houston

Brain Drain
Anyone who loves whiling away the hours surfing the internet, scrolling through social media or playing computer games on their mobile phones and tablets needs to pause and take serious note. Instead of providing entertainment, or even a way to simply pass the time, there now seems to be proof that screen time is making people less intelligent. As Adam Hegarty reports, the evidence is frightening, especially when it comes to teenagers' use of smart phones and other devices. Medical scans show significant shrinking of their brains, similar to what researchers find in elderly people with Alzheimer's disease. And so worrying is the increasing prevalence of this condition, it has been given a name: Digital dementia.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Laura Sparkes

Their Man in Canberra
With the Middle East on fire, the entire world is in crisis. Every country is feeling the heat of economic and military uncertainty. Superpower China finds itself in a particularly delicate situation. It's one of Iran's strategic partners, yet knows that actively supporting the Tehran regime is a fraught proposition. On the upside for China though, the war could be an opportunity too good to ignore; the chance, while attention is focused elsewhere, for Beijing to take Taiwan and rule the Indo-Pacific. With much to discuss, China's man in Canberra, Ambassador Xiao Qian invited Amelia Adams to the embassy for a rare, and at times robust, interview.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producers: Anne Worthington, Sheree Gibson

Sunday's 60 Minutes reports on North Korean workers infiltrating Australian companies, plus recovering from the White Island volcano disaster in New Zealand.

Quid Game
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un didn't become one of the world's most despised dictators by playing nice. This tyrant is rat cunning. But his pariah status, along with the sanctions many countries impose on his regime, means he has a cash problem. In North Korea, Kim needs money, and lots of it, for all those nuclear warheads and other missiles he's forever threatening the west with. So, to get it, he's come up with a devious scam. As Nick McKenzie explains in this joint 60 Minutes, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age investigation, Kim Jong-Un has ordered his agents to target Australian companies, masquerading as workers looking for remote IT jobs. And once hired, they not only help fund Kim's nefarious activities, they're able to steal our sensitive information.
Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Producer: Garry McNab

The Power of Love
Time and time again over the last six years Stephanie Browitt has proven what an exceptional woman she is. In 2019, against all odds, she survived the White Island volcano disaster in New Zealand. Her father Paul, sister Krystal and 20 others were killed. Steph suffered horrific burn injuries but has shown inspirational courage in her ongoing treatment. A large part of her miraculous recovery is because of another amazing woman, Steph's unassuming mum. Marie Browitt too has faced heartbreak difficult to describe, yet through the pain of her own grief, has been a constant source of strength for her daughter. On 60 Minutes, Sarah Abo celebrates the very powerful and special relationship this pair share.
Reporter: Sarah Abo
Producer: Natalie Clancy

In an earlier slot this Sunday, 60 Minutes reflects on 30 years since the Port Arthur massacre; and profiles swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan.

The Darkest Day
Later this month Australia marks a sombre anniversary. It will be 30 years since the Port Arthur massacre, when a lone gunman extinguished the lives of 35 innocent people. In the wake of the tragedy, with a steely resolve, then Prime Minister John Howard introduced some of the toughest gun laws in the world. On 60 Minutes, Tara Brown reflects on the shocking attack, pays respect to the victims, and acknowledges how Howard's determination to make the country safer changed Australian history. In 2026, there's no question some people have legitimate reasons to own guns, but as Brown reports, this story is a grim reminder of the importance to strictly control who has access to weapons.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Amelia Ballinger, Toni Ambrogetti

Red Dragon
Her nickname is Red Dragon, and it couldn't be more apt. Twenty-two-year-old Olympic champion swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan has a fiery determination to dominate. And dominate she does. At the Paris Olympics, her haul of three gold medals, one silver and a bronze made her Australia's most prolific athlete. But none of this would have happened if not for her biggest victory, which actually occurred out of the pool. As Tara Brown finds out, Mollie had to learn how to harness the crippling anxiety that attacked her every time she climbed onto the starting blocks.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Natalie Clancy

The Rules of War
In any war, the battle to defeat the enemy is obviously paramount. But there's something equally important that's often forgotten. It might be an oxymoron, but for civilized combatants, how the fighting is conducted is as significant as any victory. War is not a free-for-all. It has rules and if they're broken, there are consequences. For instance, a soldier cannot kick an unarmed, handcuffed civilian off a cliff and then order his execution. However, that's one of the allegations facing Victoria Cross hero, Ben Roberts-Smith. On Tuesday he was charged with five counts of war crime murder, arising from his multiple tours of duty during the Afghanistan war. Predictably, Roberts-Smith's arrest created worldwide headlines, but of all the commentary since, nothing has been heard from the soldiers who fought alongside him. Until now. On 60 Minutes Nick McKenzie speaks with an SAS veteran who saw Ben Roberts-Smith in action in Afghanistan.
Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Producer: Garry McNab

Looksmaxxing
For people who don't already know what "looksmaxxing" is, their first reaction might be to laugh when they see it in action. But that would be wrong because this phenomenon, not surprisingly born from the internet, is not only non-sensical, it's incredibly dangerous. And it's causing damage to Australian adolescent boys and young men. On the face of it, "looksmaxxing" is just that, a kind of self-improvement that comes from maximising appearance. But as Adam Hegarty reveals, how it's done defies belief. "Looksmaxxers" advocate drugs, surgery and even self-harm, often in the form of using a hammer to smash their faces to try to re-align their bone structures.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producers: Sammi Taylor, Serge Negus

On 60 Minutes the family of a grandmother left behind on an island cruise want answers; plus single women freezing eggs due to a shortage of men wanting to become a parent.

Left to Die
All her life, Suzanne Rees was driven by a wanderlust that took her to far-flung parts of the world. But it was what should have been the safest of adventures close to home that ended this experienced traveller's life prematurely. Last October, the 81-year-old mother and grandmother paid $30,000 for a luxury cruise around the top of Australia on the Coral Adventurer. Its first stop was remote Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef. But there the unthinkable occurred. The ship sailed off without her. Sue was left behind, alone, and died of heat exposure. For her grieving family, how this was ever allowed to happen is beyond shocking.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Lisa Brown, Sheree Gibson

Going It Alone
Forget the joy of sex – for an increasing number of young heterosexual women in Australia, freezing their eggs has become the first step to motherhood. Fertility experts used to think the key reason for this was obvious. Having fought the good fight for equal opportunity, women would be able to enjoy the benefits of successful careers for longer. Now though, another reason has emerged. And as Dimity Clancey reports, it seems blokes are to blame. There just aren't enough good ones out there, men genuinely committed to lasting relationships, who want to be dads. The result is more and more older and single mothers.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producer: Sandra Odorisio

60 Minutes this Sunday goes inside Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch in New Mexico, plus the struggle with cost of living.

The Struggle
For many, watching the decent, hardworking people Amelia Adams meets in this story might be like staring into a mirror. That's because in reality there are millions of Australians across the nation struggling through times that are beyond tough. Predictably, the country's leaders say none of this is their fault; that events out of their control, like war in the Middle East, are having a massive impact on the economy. Perhaps the politicians are right, perhaps not, but either way it doesn't ease the significant pain so many are feeling. And it doesn't pay the bills.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producer: Nichola Younger

The Evil at Zorro Ranch
At first glance, the Zorro Ranch in New Mexico, named after the fictional masked crusader, looks like it could be a desert Disneyland. It's an impressive mansion in a spectacular location. But the truth couldn't be starker. The remote property was in fact one of sex predator Jeffrey Epstein's lairs. And with the release of the damning Epstein Files, the world is learning much more about the horrors that went on there. As Tara Brown reports, not only was it the alleged scene of sexual abuse against minors and young women, it was where the maniacal Epstein dreamt of developing a designer baby farm. Shockingly, there are even suggestions of bodies buried at the Ranch. So what did the authorities know about this place? And when?
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producer: Sammi Taylor

On Sunday's 60 Minutes, Meta under the magnifying glass over online safety of its younger users, plus the Eastern Paralysis Tick.

Tiny Terror
Few things are more typically Australian than a snag on the barbecue, somewhere out in the bush. For an increasing number of people though, this simple joy could be a date with death. It's because of a tiny creature called the Eastern Paralysis Tick. As Adam Hegarty reports, anyone who gets bitten by one runs the risk of contracting a largely unknown condition called mammalian meat allergy. For people who get it, and are diagnosed, the consequences mean they can't eat red meat or dairy products. However, for those who get it, but don't know they have it, the consequences can be fatal.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Anne Worthington

Get a Better Meta
The message is clear for high-profile CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his army of acolytes at the social media giant, Meta. The $2.4 trillion company needs to urgently improve the way it operates, especially when it comes to the online safety of young people who use its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. Until now Meta's line had always been, "We're doing our best." But significant losses in recent court cases, where many of Meta's long-held secrets were exposed, seem to prove the company could and should have done much better to protect users from harm. On 60 Minutes, Dimity Clancey reveals even more damning allegations about the way Meta works from two former executives no longer willing to be silent.
Reporter: Dimity Clancey
Producers: Natalie Clancy, Sheree Gibson