7NEWS Spotlight

Liz Hayes fronts her first story for 7News Spotlight for 2026 this Sunday, "Bad Treatment: Changing Women's Healthcare".

Liz said: "This story was a bit of a reckoning for me. I was aghast to learn that for decades much of women's health has been based on the research of men. I was shocked by what that has meant and how far women have fallen behind.

"But I am buoyed by the amazing efforts to remedy that – some of it life changing. And suffice to say I'm hoping it's not too late for me to make some critical changes."

For about 14 million Australian women and girls, health advice has often been built on incomplete, and at times flawed and even harmful research and information, based on results taken only from men. The consequences have been significant, with experts warning women have been suffering and even dying unnecessarily for decades.

Now, in a deeply personal major investigation – coinciding with a significant milestone of her own – Liz puts herself through a series of confronting medical tests to understand what it all means, and what women can do about it.

From uncomfortable truths to cutting-edge breakthroughs, 7NEWS Spotlight examines how women's bodies have been misunderstood for centuries, and why change is finally underway.

Along the way, Liz meets the doctors, researchers and health experts working to close the gap, exploring new approaches that could help women live better, healthier and longer lives.

Michael Usher is on the frontline of the booming illegal tobacco trade – an underground economy now worth an estimated $6 billion, fuelled by tonnes of illicit cigarettes and leaf tobacco entering Australia's ports every day.

"The size and scale of this criminal crisis is staggering. Illegal tobacco has become an uncontainable, multi-billion-dollar crime enterprise," he said.

"The imports of cheap smokes and loose-leaf tobacco have now hit record levels this year. Worse than last year. Law enforcement agencies are deeply frustrated.

"We've spent months with them on raids and on our borders. But the government is taking a very slow and bureaucratic approach to a problem it largely created, with poor policy creating a black market. We handed this to the criminals. Something must disrupt this ruthless trade and fast."

7NEWS Spotlight is embedded with police as they target powerful crime syndicates, revealing the scale of a crisis the nation's top law enforcement bosses say they are beyond arresting their way out of.

The numbers are staggering. Billions of illegal cigarettes, hundreds of tonnes of smuggled tobacco, an estimated $18 billion in lost government revenue – not because Australians have stopped smoking, but because the market has shifted underground into criminal hands.

As violence intensifies on suburban streets, 7NEWS Spotlight examines how well-intentioned government policies around the smoking tax and vaping have helped create the perfect conditions for organised crime to thrive, and why authorities say urgent change is needed.

From border seizures to raids on tobacconists now dotting our streets, this is a confronting look at how Australia has lost control of its nicotine market and how we might look to examples overseas to stop it becoming worse.

7News Spotlight this Sunday speaks to Josie Murray, the grandmother of missing 4yo Gus Lamont.

Adelaide crime reporter Hannah Foord and Michael Usher investigate a vanishing in the South Australian outback.

Usher said: "This is the interview that could provide answers to the many questions being asked about the disappearance of little Gus. Even the South Australia police still want answers.

"Gus's grandmother has never spoken before, but in an extraordinary set of circumstances has now given her first interview."

A four-year-old boy vanishes without a trace in the vast South Australian outback, triggering one of the most intensive missing persons investigations the country has ever seen.

Nine months on, the disappearance of curly-haired Gus Lamont remains a haunting mystery, with more questions than answers and a growing sense of urgency about what really happened.

Now, in a major exclusive to air this Sunday at 8.40pm on Seven and 7plus, 7NEWS Spotlight goes inside the case that has gripped the nation, featuring an in-depth interview with Gus's grandmother, Josie Murray – a central figure in the investigation who has never spoken publicly

Interviewed by police but never arrested, Josie reveals the toll of being identified as a key suspect and the moment that still troubles her about the day Gus disappeared.

7NEWS Adelaide crime reporter Hannah Foord, who has tracked the case from day one, joins 7NEWS Spotlight's Michael Usher for this unmissable investigation, as they piece together one of Australia's most perplexing missing persons cases. The pair examine critical clues, including tracks and signs investigators say point to something more, and whether vital evidence was missed in the early stages of the search.

On 7News Spotlight Ashlee Mullany reports on difficulties in conception, sperm donation, desperate measures and legalities.

Making a family doesn't come easily for everyone, and for some Australians it's becoming almost impossible.

As the nation's donor shortages increase and regulations tighten, hopeful parents are being forced into expensive, complex, and in some cases risky alternatives, in their attempts to conceive.

In this week's 7NEWS Spotlight to air on Sunday at 8.30pm on Seven and 7plus, correspondent Ashlee Mullany investigates the growing fallout from Australia's strict sperm donation laws, and the unintended consequences now driving a booming underground market.

With demand far outstripping supply, desperate Australians are turning to private donors operating outside the system – a shadowy underground market with no limits, no oversight and no guarantees.

7NEWS Spotlight reveals the confronting reality of this booming trade, where some black market donors claim to have fathered hundreds of children, raising serious ethical and safety concerns, especially for the children born as a result.

As calls for reform grow louder, this is a powerful look at the cost of the system as it stands, and the deeply personal toll on those who are desperately trying to start a family.

This Sunday on 7News Spotlight Michael Usher asks whether major weight-loss drugs may be useful in addressing various other addictions,

It has already transformed the fight against obesity. Now, scientists believe popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro could be unlocking something even bigger.

More than half a million Australians are using GLP-1 medications, with remarkable results. And researchers are now investigating whether these drugs do more than switch off hunger – potentially helping to silence some of the brain's most powerful addictions.

In this 7News Spotlight special investigation to air on Sunday at 8.40pm on Seven and 7plus, Michael Usher explores the growing evidence these weight-loss drugs may help curb other addictive disorders like alcohol, smoking, gambling and drugs, opening up what some experts believe could be the next frontier of the "Ozempic" revolution.

The program examines the ground breaking science behind the drugs and meets Australians who say their relationship with food wasn't the only thing that changed, describing unexpected effects on long-standing addictions and compulsive behaviours. Plus, the research exploring whether the medications could help fight serious disease beyond obesity, including cancer.

But for all the promise, there are concerns. With health warnings about the potential risk of serious psychological impact and questions remaining about long-term side effects, 7News Spotlight investigates the ups and downs of the weight-loss drugs reshaping modern medicine.

7News Spotlight sees Sarah Greenhalgh inside Australia's AI data centres, processing everything from online searches and streaming services to the AI tools millions now use every day.

Across the country, giant data centres are springing up in suburbia and regional communities, some just metres from homes – powering every scroll, every search and every AI prompt reshaping our lives.

But the race to build Australia's AI revolution is also fuelling a growing backlash, with battles intensifying over water and electricity resources, infrastructure, pollution, and the impact on local communities.

As governments and tech giants lead the charge to secure Australia's place in the global AI boom, critics are raising concerns about the hidden costs. These facilities draw on enormous amounts of electricity and water, while communities fear the centres are being built too close to homes and without enough scrutiny.

From the NSW Southern Highlands to Melbourne's city centre, 7News Spotlight explores the rapid expansion of an industry expected to transform the country's economy, and meets the residents, experts and industry leaders grappling with the real-world impact of the data centres already on our doorstep.

The question isn't whether we need them. It's what we're prepared to sacrifice to keep them running. And 7News Spotlight heads to Loudoun County, Virginia – the data centre capital of the world – to see what lessons Australia can learn before it's too late.

7News Spotlight on Sunday sees Liam Bartlett join One Nation's Pauline Hanson in the UK.

Liam Bartlett said: "Spending time with Senator Hanson outside her usual comfort zone has provided quite a unique opportunity for Australian voters to see and hear her in a context that may surprise them.

"And like with any candidate who could potentially be a Prime Minister, we have challenged her views so that viewers can make an informed decision".

With One Nation riding high in the polls, Pauline Hanson has been greeted as a major figure on the political world stage.

In this 7NEWS Spotlight exclusive to air on Sunday at 8.50pm on Seven and 7plus, Liam Bartlett follows Senator Hanson from Australia to the UK, gaining extraordinary access as she seeks guidance from the darlings and delinquents of the UK's far right.

But has Hanson's UK visit taken her views to the extreme?

Bartlett sits down with an emboldened Hanson who for the first time reveals how her listening tour has reshaped her views on Australia's future.

In their fiery exchange, she makes no apologies – defending new plans for the Australia she wants to see, informed by the elements of Britain she doesn't want us to emulate. It's raw, unguarded and at times explosive.

It's Pauline Hanson as you've never seen her, with renewed determination to fight for what she believes. As she tells 7NEWS Spotlight: "This is a chess game that we're playing at the moment and it's a hell of a chess game. But at the end of it, I want One Nation to win because if we can win, the people will win." in the UK.

Liam Bartlett said: "Spending time with Senator Hanson outside her usual comfort zone has provided quite a unique opportunity for Australian voters to see and hear her in a context that may surprise them.

"And like with any candidate who could potentially be a Prime Minister, we have challenged her views so that viewers can make an informed decision".

With One Nation riding high in the polls, Pauline Hanson has been greeted as a major figure on the political world stage.

In this 7NEWS Spotlight exclusive to air on Sunday at 8.50pm on Seven and 7plus, Liam Bartlett follows Senator Hanson from Australia to the UK, gaining extraordinary access as she seeks guidance from the darlings and delinquents of the UK's far right.

But has Hanson's UK visit taken her views to the extreme?

Bartlett sits down with an emboldened Hanson who for the first time reveals how her listening tour has reshaped her views on Australia's future.

In their fiery exchange, she makes no apologies – defending new plans for the Australia she wants to see, informed by the elements of Britain she doesn't want us to emulate. It's raw, unguarded and at times explosive.

It's Pauline Hanson as you've never seen her, with renewed determination to fight for what she believes. As she tells 7NEWS Spotlight: "This is a chess game that we're playing at the moment and it's a hell of a chess game. But at the end of it, I want One Nation to win because if we can win, the people will win."

More than a decade after Amy Wensley's death was ruled a suicide, police have apologised to her family and reopened the case as an unsolved homicide.

Who is behind the scams that have parted Australians with millions? Liam Bartlett goes inside the industrial sized scam centres in the country dubbed "Scambodia" and joins one Aussie victim as he strikes back.

Meet Guy Sebastian's son Archie on Spotlight this week. The shy 12-year-old has become a viral sensation after an impromptu performance with his dad.

Ultra-processed foods have become a major part of the modern Australian diet – and they're often the very things we think of as healthy, convenient, and nutritious.

In this 7News Spotlight special investigation to air on Sunday at 8.45pm on Seven and 7Plus, Liam Bartlett goes inside the booming world of ultra-processed products, uncovering what's really in the foods filling our supermarket shelves - and the growing concerns about what they could be doing to our health.

Experts reveal Australians may be consuming far more ultra-processed food than they realise, and far more regularly.

Bartlett's investigation takes viewers from Australian supermarket aisles to the United States, uncovering the history behind the rise of ultra-processed foods – including the disturbing role played by some of the world's biggest tobacco companies.

Could the same science once used to sell cigarettes have helped create foods designed to keep us coming back for more?

Plus, 7News Spotlight speaks to researchers, doctors and families confronting the health consequences firsthand, while asking whether Australia's food labelling systems are giving shoppers enough information to understand exactly what they're buying.

What we uncover will forever change the way you see your supermarket trolley.

7News Spotlight Michael Usher meets 9 year old Tilly Page whose breakthrough treatment for childhood dementia could help could one day transform the fight against all forms of dementia.

When Kate and Lachlan Page welcomed their first child Matilda, life couldn't have been better. But at just three months old, Tilly was diagnosed with a cruel condition - childhood dementia.

The diagnosis was terminal. Her parents were told she would have just a few short years and her devastating decline would be like that of an adult dementia sufferer. Today, Tilly is nine years old, full of energy and "miraculous in her averageness".

In this 7NEWS Spotlight special investigation, Michael Usher meets the remarkable little girl who has made medical history - and investigates whether the breakthrough treatment could one day transform the fight against all forms of dementia.

"This is a story that I've wanted to tell for years, and now we can," Usher says. "It's an incredible medical miracle. A one-off fix for a little girl's terminal diagnosis. An experiment that worked and stopped a very cruel diagnosis in its tracks."

Tilly is among 40 children worldwide still being monitored as part of the ground breaking gene therapy trial while they wait for the treatment to receive regulatory approval.

But for other families, time is running out. The revolutionary treatment remains tied up in red tape, leaving desperate families without access to the therapy that changed Tilly's life.

What if a digital version of you could sit through boring work meetings, answer your emails or even earn money while you sleep? What if they could live on – even after you've died?

AI has become so convincingly human that companies are now creating digital replicas that look like us, sound like us and can act on our behalf.

In this 7News Spotlight special investigation, Ashlee Mullany delves into the multi-billion-dollar industry pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human.

From fashion models using AI ‘twins' to front campaigns without ever setting foot out of bed, to business leaders using digital replicas to deal with colleagues and clients – the technology is already rapidly entering our everyday lives.

But it doesn't stop in the workplace. The technology offers a way to create new friends and romantic companions and even make our loved one's immortal. Mullany meets a man who has regular facetime chats with his mother – who died in 2022.