Outbreak

Year 2018Episode 2150 minJul 2, 2018
Outbreak

This episode of Four Corners, reported by Linton Besser and presented by Michael Brissenden, investigates some of the worst biosecurity breaches in Australian history, uncovering sophisticated smuggling operations, inadequate enforcement and corruption.

"The department has a problem. There is a vast number of containers coming in…They're struggling to maintain the barrier." Investigator

Last year a devastating exotic disease wiped out much of Queensland's prawn industry, threatening a lucrative trade based on our "clean" reputation and undermining faith in Australia's supposedly fortress-like borders.

"It's the canary in the coal mine… there are some problems with our border security that obviously need to be addressed to make sure this doesn't happen again." Scientist

Official inquiries narrowed in on contaminated seafood illegally imported from Asia.

"These are low-grade prawns, you don't want them inspected by anybody. They probably glow in the dark." Biosecurity official

Now a Four Corners investigation will reveal how Australia's biosecurity measures were defeated by sophisticated smugglers.

"A substantial number…were deliberately and cold-bloodedly gaming the department. The profits to be made from getting a container past the department were huge." Investigator

The program pieces together the dramatic fight to contain the outbreak and uncover the cause.

"I'll never forget that day because I was out in my boat in the morning just working on reefs and I got this phone call saying, ‘Can you keep a secret?'" Marine scientist

Insiders talk about the cut-throat nature of the industry and the huge profits to be made by those breaking the law.

"We had to choose whether we were going to follow their lead, or we were going to say no and act properly." Importer

Investigators warn that Australia's biosecurity regime can be easily exploited.

"Would you put a burglar in charge of a bank? That's what self-regulation is about. There is no incentive for an importer to do the right thing." Investigator

The concern goes well beyond the seafood industry, with the program set to detail another significant breach that threatened a multi-billion-dollar industry.

"It was like a rotten onion. We were peeling away a layer to find a more rotten layer underneath. So, everywhere we turned, everywhere we looked things were getting worse." Executive

Outbreak has aired on Jul 2, 2018 at 8:30 PM
Previous EpisodeNext Episode

Trailer

We do not have any trailers for this episode

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Jeopardy!
Running

Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! is a classic game show -- with a twist. The answers are given first, and the contestants supply the questions. Three contestants, including the previous show's champion, compete in six categories and in three rounds (with each round's "answers" being worth more prize money).

Destination X
Running

Destination X

Destination X sees a group of contestants go on the road trip of a lifetime but they have no idea of their location. In order to win, they must figure out their mystery locations. Once they're on the blacked-out Destination X bus, the journey turns into a real-life game board, with challenges designed to offer clues as to their location, along with a few misdirects to keep them guessing.  

At the end of each episode, the contestant who places an X on a map furthest from the actual location packs their bags. The first participant to reach Destination X will be crowned the winner.

LEGO Masters
Running

LEGO Masters

Based on the hit British reality-competition series of the same name, LEGO Masters brings imagination, design and creativity to life when teams of LEGO enthusiasts go head-to-head, with infinite possibilities and an unlimited supply of LEGO bricks. Teams of two will compete against each other in ambitious brick-building challenges to be crowned the country's most talented amateur LEGO builders. In each episode, the competing pairs who most impress the judges will progress to the next round, until the finale, during which the top teams will face off for a cash prize, the ultimate LEGO trophy and the grand title of LEGO Masters.

Below Deck Mediterranean
Running

Below Deck Mediterranean

With a new boat, new location, and new faces, the excitement, drama, and adventure of life aboard a private luxury yacht is taken to another level in the Mediterranean. Providing unparalleled service to wealthy and uncompromising guests is made even more difficult as the team faces everything from love triangles to seeing fellow crew members shockingly cross the line with guests. Voyaging from Santorini, Mykonos, and many of the Greek islands, each episode features a new group of elite clientele who present a new set of challenges, all while offering the crew a glamorous lifestyle and exotic perks that most people only dream of experiencing. For these young, attractive, and adventurous yachties, the "work hard, play harder" nature of the job combined with the pressure of working in the most exclusive yachting scene in the world pushes the team close to the breaking point on Below Deck Mediterranean.

Feud
Running

Feud

The first installment of the Ryan Murphy's FX anthology series tells the story of the legendary rivalry between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis during their collaboration on the Academy Award nominated thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and well after the cameras stopped rolling. The series explores how the two women endured ageism, sexism, and misogyny while struggling to hang on to success and fame in the twilight of their careers.

In the second installment, acclaimed writer Truman Capote surrounded himself with a coterie of society's most elite women – rich, glamorous socialites who defined a bygone era of high society New York – whom he nicknamed "the swans." Enchanted and captivated by these doyennes, Capote ingratiated himself into their lives, befriending them and becoming their confidante, only to ultimately betray them by writing a thinly veiled fictionalization of their lives, exposing their most intimate secrets. When an excerpt from the book was published in Esquire, it effectively destroyed his relationship with his swans, banished him from the high society he so loved and sent him into a spiral of self-destruction from which he would ultimately never recover.

GenreDrama