AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST CORRUPTION SCANDAL IS UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT FOR A NEW SERIES OF LiSTNR’S AWARD-WINNING PODCAST, SECRETS WE KEEP

– How Australia funded a dictator, told by the men on the inside –

LiSTNR has today released the third series of Secrets We Keep, an exploration of Australia’s biggest corruption scandal when a trusted Australian company funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to dictator Saddam Hussein in the lead-up to the Iraq War.

Secrets We Keep: Baghdad Nights follows multi-award-winning journalist Richard Baker and his investigation into Australia’s biggest-ever international trade scandal, told by the men on the inside. Listeners will hear a thrilling and personal account of how Australia conducts its dirty business in far-flung places and who pays the price when scandal erupts. The audience is taken into war zones, secret meetings, and the offices of the country’s most powerful people, whilst hearing what it is like to have the nation’s media bearing down.

The scandal, which unfolded in the early 2000s, revealed a complex web of corruption and deceit involving the United Nations’ oil-for-food program in Iraq. At the heart of the scandal was the Australian Wheat Board (AWB), a corporation responsible for selling Australia’s wheat crop to the world. AWB, once a pillar of the Australian agricultural industry, was implicated in a scheme to funnel $300 million to the regime of Saddam Hussein, which Australia and its allies ultimately declared war on.

The key players from AWB implicated in the scandal, are integral voices in the series. The trio, including former AWB Chairman Trevor Flugge, have never spoken about their work in Iraq nor what it was like to go from being trusted government insiders to the poster boys of a national scandal.

Richard Baker said: “Secrets We Keep: Baghdad Nights takes you behind the scenes of how Australia conducts itself on the world stage – in making money and making war. It’s about how our country deals with scandal, who is held to account and who gets away with it.

“In telling this story I’m hoping it will cause people to think about how quickly we leap to judgement to declare someone as good or evil. This especially applies to people like me in the media. The truth is there’s always more to the story.

“Stories like this matter. They matter because what Australian governments and companies get up to overseas, whatever’s done, it’s in all our names”.

LiSTNR Head of Factual, Clair Weaver, said: “Once again, the LiSTNR Factual team has resurfaced an important Australian story that impacted the fabric of Australia. The far-reaching consequences of the AWB scandal extended beyond financial loss and reputational damage. It eroded public trust in corporate governance and highlighted the urgent need for robust anti-corruption measures.

“Richard’s investigations and discoveries are a stark reminder of the importance of ethical conduct and transparency in business. It underscores the need for vigilant oversight and accountability to prevent such breaches of trust from recurring.”

About LiSTNR:

LiSTNR is a curated and personalised, free app offering radio, podcasts, music, and news, creating a new audio destination for all Australians. Featuring a fun and intuitive onboarding process, LiSTNR delivers an audio destination that is built for individual listeners’ routines and preferences. Highly personalised, it provides listeners a new world of audio entertainment, with their own daily feed of audio and easy discovery of new content through curated recommendations. Available across a large array of devices including both iOS and Android, CarPlay and Android Auto, Google Assistant and Alexa and Android TV, LiSTNR enables a fantastic listening experience, anytime and anywhere. Open your Ears to a new world of audio – download the free app today. LiSTNR.com

About Richard Baker:

Multi-award-winning journalist Richard Baker has partnered with LiSTNR’s in-house Factual team to develop new original investigative documentary series, continuing his reputation for compelling, narrative content.

A long-time The Age and Sydney Morning Herald journalist, in recent years Baker has become renowned for his critically acclaimed podcast series, including Phoebe’s FallWrong SkinThe Last Voyage of the Pong Su and The Confession, which sat at number one on the Australian and NZ podcast charts for several weeks in late 2022.

Baker’s podcasts have garnered worldwide audiences, along with accolades at the New York Festivals, the Kennedy journalism awards and the Melbourne Press Club. Baker has won five Walkley Awards, Australia’s most prestigious journalism honour.

Got a podcast idea? ABC Australia’s Podcaster of the Year is listening!

The fourth annual call-out for distinctive podcasts in any language is open now! Pitch your podcast to join the growing collection of award-winning SBS podcasts for all Australians, including English language learners and soccer fans.

Calling all veteran and aspiring podcasters – SBS is looking for more exciting podcasts to share with its national multicultural, multilingual and First Nations audiences.

SBS Audio wants to hear your ideas across news, entertainment, society and culture, language, food and more to develop with our experienced team and share with Australia’s growing podcast audience.

With a keen eye for new and underrepresented talent, SBS is also seeking podcast ideas for new migrants settling in Australia, adult English language learners, and soccer fans with the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026™ which will be broadcast exclusively on SBS.

This is the fourth year SBS is inviting podcast pitches from the public which have led to the creation of award-winning series like Should You Really Eat That?The IdiomBad Taste and My Bilingual Family.

Acting Director of Audio and Language Content, Pamela Cook, said: “SBS Audio lives and breathes the stories of multicultural, multilingual and First Nations Australia, and we’re the perfect home for podcasts that celebrate diversity and bring new voices and talent to the fore.

“We’re thrilled that SBS was named Best Publisher at the Australian Podcast Awards 2023 for a second consecutive year and part of that success comes from our open call-out for pitches.”

SBS Digital Audio and Podcast Manager, Caroline Gates, said, “We’re looking for stories that only SBS is able to tell, which means more distinctive voices and perspectives that connect with our audiences.

“It’s been wonderful to see podcast ideas incubated through SBS’s annual call-out become award-winning series and even grow into second seasons.”

A new season of My First Year in Australia with comedian Suraj Kolarkar is available now as well as a second season of Like Us featuring three women from different backgrounds discussing their relationship with Australia available from Wednesday 7 August.

Pitches are shortlisted and workshopped with the SBS Audio podcast team before the next stage, which involves creating a pilot episode.

SBS Audio broadcasts in more than 60 languages with a distinctive podcast offering that sees more than 4 million downloads each month.

Pitches can be made through the online form on the SBS Audio website and close Friday 30 August 2024. Listen to all of SBS Audio’s podcasts on the SBS Audio App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, LiSTNR and wherever you stream podcasts.