60 Minutes S2024E19 - Broken Borders, Unfathomable

Sunday's 60 Minutes investigates why the Australian Border Force is failing at stopping people smuggling.

Broken Borders
No one disputes that patrolling Australia's extensive sea borders is a difficult job. But it shouldn't be impossible. Off the north-west coasts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, the task of stopping people trying to enter the country illegally is primarily the responsibility of the Australian Border Force. But in this joint 60 Minutes, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age investigation, Nick McKenzie reports how broken our borders have become because the ABF is failing. The organisation's equipment is sub-standard, at times even dangerous; a fact that has severely impacted its operations. And as a consequence, the people smugglers have again been plying their evil trade.
Reporter: Nick McKenzie
Producer: Garry McNab

Unfathomable
If there's one small comfort to be taken from the OceanGate deep-sea submersible disaster, it's that death was instant for the five occupants on board. But a year on from the tragedy, there are still so many unanswered questions. Most fundamentally, why did the strange-looking craft on a mission to the wreck of the Titanic fail so spectacularly? And why, for days on end, was the world wrongly led to believe there was hope for a successful rescue mission? The lack of credible information about what really happened is now becoming increasingly unfathomable, not only for the families of the victims, but also for other undersea explorers like legendary Hollywood director James Cameron. Speaking exclusively to Amelia Adams, Cameron reveals that this is a catastrophe that could and should have been avoided.
Reporter: Amelia Adams
Producer: Hannah Bowers