Secrets We Keep

In this two-part exclusive, Joey Watson speaks to the parents of “Thomas Carrick” (pseudonym), a young teenager with autism radicalised by covert Australian Federal Police operatives and later charged with terrorism. His charges were dropped by a Victorian court. For the first time, Thomas’ parents speak publicly about the systemic gaps that allowed a vulnerable boy to be drawn deeper into danger, the devastating moment they learned the state had pursued a criminal case against a child with significant cognitive vulnerabilities, and how a system meant to protect their son instead put him at greater risk. Their account, alongside the court’s damning findings, that police conduct fell “profoundly short” of acceptable standards, raises questions about policing, oversight, and how a terrorism prevention program turned into an institutional failure. Right of Reply: The Secrets We Keep: Uncovered team contacted the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police for comment.   The AFP declined to answer our questions and instead referred us to previous on-the-record comments made by Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney in 2024 regarding this matter: Senate Estimates LINK Parliamentary Joint Committee LINK Victoria Police Response: “Victoria Police in partnership with community groups and other areas of government agencies delivers dedicated therapeutic early intervention programs which directly engage with and support individuals assessed as being vulnerable to, or holding violent extremist beliefs. Programs involve case management activity which may include connecting individuals with mentors, psychological counselling, and educational or vocational opportunities. “Victoria Police does not publicly provide specific details of the operations or programs of this nature. This is partly to ensure we maintain the confidentiality needs of all of those involved. The community can be reassured that we remain committed to working with the community and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies to divert those vulnerable to radicalising towards violent extremism to a different path, assist those who are already holding violent extremist beliefs to disengage, and ensure the safety and security of the Victorian public.” Victoria Police also claimed that to their knowledge, the Imam assigned to the family through their CVE program did not record without the family’s knowledge or consent. Credits: Reporter/Producer/Host: Joey Watson Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco Fact Check: Holly Mitchell Sound Design: Matt Nikolic Head of Factual: Clair Weaver See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hailing from a bikie family to becoming a celebrated cop, former NSW police officer and whistleblower Deb Locke revealed the hidden truth behind Roger Rogerson—once praised as a star detective, but ultimately unmasked as one of Australia’s most corrupt and violent police officers. Deb shares powerful firsthand insights into the culture of intimidation and cover-ups within the NSW Police Force of the 1980s, her own battle to speak out against corruption, the courage required to confront the powerful, and how her evidence helped dismantle a system built on fear, complicity, and silence. Credits: Host/Producer: Joey Watson Producer: Holly Mitchell Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco  Sound Design: Matt Nikolic   Fact Check and Archive Research: Lee Chan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An undercover sting on the Spanish party island of Ibiza involving a far-right political leader, a fake Russian oligarch, cocaine and corruption. This is the inside story of the Ibiza Affair, and how private investigator Julian Hessenthaler made the secret recordings that brought down a government. Credits: Host/Producer: Joey Watson Supervising Producer: Claudianna Blanco  Sound Design: Matt Nikolic   Fact Check: Holly Mitchell Listen to Secrets we Keep: Lone Actor - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/secrets-we-keep/id1699106866?i=1000716518474See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Lorraine Long began logging complaints from patients who claimed to be mistreated by doctors, she uncovered one of Australia’s most shocking medical scandals. Her warnings were ignored, her reputation attacked, but her persistence exposed “the Butcher of Bega,” disgraced gynaecologist and obstetrician Graeme Reeves, who was accused of mutilating and assaulting patients. In this episode, Lorraine reflects on how she blew the whistle, the personal cost of speaking out, and what her story reveals about a medical system that struggled to protect women. Content Warning: this episode contains descriptions of botched medical procedures and indecent assault. Guest Host: Tara Cassidy  Producer: Claudianna Blanco  Sound Design: Matt Nikolic   Fact Check: Holly MitchellSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a world-famous prankster journalist decides to put all the TikToks, podcasts, and online masterclasses promising overnight riches to the test?  British filmmaker Oobah Butler spills the methods behind his latest documentary, “How I Made £1 Million In 90 Days”, a wild ride through the art of turning hype and hot air into cash, faking his way to wealth to expose the reality behind “hustle culture”.  Host: Joey Watson  Producer: Claudianna Blanco  Sound Design: Matt Nikolic  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it became known that a shadowy facial recognition company called Clearview AI had created a massive database, capable of identifying almost anyone, anywhere, reporters around the globe picked up the trail — working to uncover how this start-up could reshape privacy and policing internationally.  Here in Australia, tech reporter Cam Wilson dug into the Australian Federal Police’s documents for years — revealing disturbing details.  Read Cam Wilson's Investigations here: ‘World’s most controversial company’ Clearview AI still being used to solve Australian police cases Clearview AI is still collecting photos of Australians for its facial recognition database See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Go inside the courtroom as the Special Investigations Unit fights to deliver justice to three alleged Nazi collaborators living in Australia — men accused of participating in atrocities during World War II. Prosecutor Graham Blewitt takes us behind the scenes of the long, complex battle for accountability, marked by High Court challenges, fading memories, and the failing health of the accused This is Part 2 of Hunting Australia’s Nazi War Criminals. You can listen to Part 1 here. Lifeline: 13 11 14 Further links:  Graham Blewitt's book Nazis in Australia  Credits: Presenter/Producer: Joey Watson Senior Producer: Claudianna Blanco Sound designer: Kyle Hopkins Executive Producer: Ellen Leabeater See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the mid 1980s, Australia had to reckon with an uncomfortable truth: that hundreds of suspected Nazi war criminals had made this country their home. They had slipped in after World War II and had been living quietly in the suburbs.  Leading the effort to expose them was the Special Investigations Unit. Prosecutor Graham Blewitt was part of the team whose task was to find the men who thought they’d escaped justice.  This is Part 1 of Hunting Australia’s Nazi War Criminals. Part 2 out next Tuesday.  Lifeline: 13 11 14 Further links:  Graham Blewitt's book Nazis in Australia  Listen to Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor  Credits: Presenter/Producer: Joey Watson Senior Producer: Claudianna Blanco Sound designer: Kyle Hopkins Executive Producer: Ellen Leabeater See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From next week, join Joey Watson as he takes you inside some of the most important investigations of our time. Each week, you'll hear stories powerful people hoped would stay buried, by speaking directly to those who lived and breathed them.   Subscribe and follow Secrets We Keep, to be the first to hear Uncovered on October 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Elliott has done what few could - persuading one of Australia's most elusive prison escapees to break his silence. The journalist and author has always been drawn to the hidden corners of people's lives, shaped in part by his own story of privilege and pain, shadowed by hardship and the loss of his father. In Secrets We Keep: Jailbreak, Tim enters the mind of Darko (aka ‘Dougie') Desic, a wildly successful weed grower who staged a bold prison escape and remained on the run for decades. In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Tim reveals why eccentric and sometimes ‘dodgy' characters confide in him and reflects on how his family dealt with his father's mental illness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darko is free but trapped in the life of a fugitive. He falls in love but can’t reveal his true identity and breaks it off. Life is hard: Darko’s living outside the system now. With no ID or healthcare, he can’t openly travel or seek medical attention. He depends on local support and cash jobs. Once COVID hits, Darko becomes homeless, and decides to hand himself in. Behind bars once again, locals rally for clemency. Will he be set free? As his fate hangs in the balance, he examines his choices and comes to a startling understanding of his remarkable life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brought to you by LiSTNR’s team of award-winning journalists, Secrets We Keep: Uncovered takes you inside some of the most important investigations of our time, with our expanding network of journalists and sources from around Australia and beyond.  Every week, we pull back the curtain on the stories powerful people hoped would stay buried, by speaking directly to those who lived and breathed them.   The whistleblower who risked everything. The victim who refused to stay silent. The journalist who just wouldn’t let it go.  Stories of power, secrecy, and the people who dared challenge both.   Secrets We Keep: Uncovered is an original LiSTNR podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darko methodically prepares an escape plan, taking months to prepare. As Darko readies himself physically, mentally and logistically, he collects the tools he needs to breakout: bolt cutters, a hack saw blade and new running shoes. After his daring escape, the cops give chase, but Darko miraculously evades them at every turn. Darko returns to Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where he assumes a new identity: “Dougie”, the easy-going handyman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darko’s sent to some of Australia’s most notorious prisons, where he acquaints himself with several underworld figures. Darko’s making the most of his time behind bars when he’s told that once his sentence is complete, he will be deported back to Yugoslavia, then in the midst of a brutal civil war. Going back would’ve meant having to fight in the conflict, so Darko decides to escape and starts to devise a plan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darko’s killing it. He uses the proceeds of a successful marijuana crop to buy a new bike, gold, opals and blue-chip shares. A single, fateful mistake gets him discovered by the police, but Darko manages a near escape. Now a fugitive, Darko picks up work on a banana plantation in Coffs Harbour, where his workmates realise there’s more to Darko than meets the eye. After a few months undetected, Darko’s luck runs out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After visiting Australia in the 1980s, Darko returns home to Yugoslavia but senses trouble coming. He sees the rise of nationalism and early signs of conflict looming. Darko heads back to the safety of Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Enamoured by the laid-back lifestyle, Darko learns to grow and sell weed. He plans to buy his dream house in Palm Beach but gets greedy. This fit, young, former communist commissar, with a taste for Russian literature decides to stay in Australia any way he can.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon in 2021, when Darko Desic arrives, unannounced, at a police station, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. He claims to have escaped from prison 30 years before and now wants to hand himself in. The police are confused. There’s no record of him on their files. The officers eventually arrest him. When news emerges of Darko’s 30 years on the run, the world is amazed, and baffled. How did he escape? How did he evade capture for so long, living under the noses of the police? And who the hell is Darko Desic? Journalist Tim Elliott tracks Darko down and sits down with him for a tell-all interview.   Credits: Writer and Host - Tim Elliott Senior Producer - Claudianna Blanco Executive Producer - Greg Muller  Sound Design - Kyle Hopkins Fact Checking - Holly Mitchell See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Jailbreak, we hear the extraordinary story of a fugitive who lived for 30 years on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. The reclusive Darko Desic (prolific weed grower, prison escapee and martial arts expert) tells his story for the first time; a story of resilience and discipline.   In following Darko’s remarkable journey, Jailbreak explores eternal truths about free will and fate, crime and punishment, and the search for meaning.  Jailbreak is an original podcast from LiSTNR.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At just 13 years old, Thomas Carrick was placed under covert surveillance by the Australian Federal Police. Believing he was speaking to ISIS operatives online, Thomas was in fact engaging with undercover officers, conversations that would eventually see him charged with terrorism offences. The AFP knew Thomas lived with autism and an intellectual disability. Still, they pursued him in a way a judge later described as ‘grooming’ him for terrorism. So, was Thomas ever a real threat? Or just a vulnerable boy pulled into a fantasy world by those meant to protect him? In this episode, counter-terrorism expert Peta Lowe - who also features in Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor - unpacks the Carrick case and what it reveals about the growing risk of youth radicalisation in Australia. To hear more content like this, listen to Crime Insiders wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why did Joey decide to use the terrorist's name? Where are far-right extremist communities gathering now?  In this bonus Q&A episode, Joey answers your questions about making the Lone Actor podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.